Letters

Write for The Iranian Editorial policy

Monday
August 30, 2001

Balanced policy

AS AN ISRAELI I SHARE YOUR QUERY AS TO WHY THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC IS SO STRONGLY OPPOSED TO ISRAEL.

IN THE PAST, ISRAEL AND IRAN FOUND STRONG GEOPOLITICAL REASONS TO BUILD A NETWORK OF TIES BASED ON MUTUAL INTEREST. THAT WAS OF COURSE BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. YET GEOGRAPHY HAS NOT CHANGED, NOR THE STRATEGIC LOGIC THAT THEN SUPPORTED A MAJOR ALLIANCE FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STABILITY. WHAT DID CHANGE WAS THE IDEOLOGY: AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI IDENTIFIED THREE "SATANS": THE USA, THE USSR AND ISRAEL, AND POSITED ETERNAL HOSTILITY TOWARDS ALL THREE.

BUT THE USSR IS GONE, AND IRAN HAS FOUND A NEW PARTNER IN RUSSIA. THE USA AND IRAN HAVE BEEN VERY CAREFULLY EXPLORING NEW POSSIBILITIES, FOLLOWING AN IRANIAN-EUROPEAN RAPPROCHEMENT. ONLY ISRAEL REMAINS A FOCUS OF OFFICIAL HOSTILITY, APPARENTLY AS A NECESSARY PROP TO THE REGIME, AND ONE WONDERS WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION WHEN (NOT IF) ISRAEL AND HER ARAB NEIGHBOURS EVENTUALLY ACHIEVE PEACE AND RECONCILIATION.

REVOLUTIONARY IRAN HAS CONSISTENTLY OPPOSED THE MADRID-OSLO-CAMP DAVID PEACE PROCESS. VARIOUS RADICAL PALESTINIAN AND LEBANESE GROUPS ENJOY IRANIAN FINANCIAL, MILITARY AND POLITICAL SUPPORT, UTILISING TERRORISM IN A POINTLESS YET BLOODY QUEST TO TRY AND WEAKEN ISRAEL AND DETER HER FROM ACHIEVING A JUST AND COMPREHENSIVE PEACE. (MUCH TO THE SURPRISE OF THE TERRORISTS AND THOSE WHO SEND MISGUIDED YOUNGSTERS TO BLOW THEMSELVES UP, TERROR HAS ONLY STEELED ISRAELI RESOLVE AND TENACITY).

THE THEORY YOU CITE, THAT "IRANIAN CLERICS TODAY... BELIEVE ISRAEL IS A THREAT TO THEIR ACTUAL (SHIITE) BRETHREN IN LEBANON" IS NEW TO ME TOO. I CANNOT RECALL ANY ISRAELI EVER THINKING ALONG THOSE LINES.

I DO NOT PROPOSE HERE TO RECITE THE LONG AND ANGUISHED HISTORY OF ISRAELI-LEBANESE RELATIONS, BUT JUST TO NOTE THAT THE UN HAS CONFIRMED THAT ISRAEL'S WITHDRAWAL FROM SOUTHERN LEBANON WAS INDEED IN FULL COMPLIANCE WITH UN RESOLUTIONS 425 ETC. INDEED NOT ALL LEBANESE POLITICIANS ARE HAPPY WITH HEZBOLLAH ASSERTIONS CONCERNING THE TINY SHABAA FARM AREA-WHICH THE UN, AND ISRAEL, CONSIDER TO BE PART OF THE GOLAN HEIGHTS.(IN OTHER WORDS, A MATTER TO BE NEGOTIATED SOME DAY WITH SYRIA, NOT WITH LEBANON.)

ISRAEL EXPECTS THE LEBANESE GOVERNMENT TO ENFORCE ITS SOVEREIGNTY UP TO THE BORDER, AND INSISTS THAT THE CEASE FIRE BE RESPECTED. ISRAEL HAS NO REASON TO BE HOSTILE TOWARDS THE SHIITES OF LEBANON AND INDEED RESPECTS THEIR RIGHT TO BE PART OF THE LEBANESE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL FABRIC, IN WHICH HEZBOLLAH CAN PREFERABLY FIND A POLITICAL ROLE TO PLAY AS ADVOCATE OF SOUTH LEBANESE INHABITANTS. IF HEZBOLLAH REFRAINED FROM SHOOTING AT ISRAEL, RETURNED THE ABDUCTED ISRAELI SOLDIERS, AND STOPPED ENCOURAGING TERRORISM AGAINST ISRAEL BY EXTREMIST PALESTINIANS, IT WOULD FIND (PERHAPS TO ITS SURPRISE) THAT WE COULD BE GOOD NEIGHBOURS. BUT AGAIN, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO HEZBOLLAH WITHOUT THE ANTI-ISRAELI RHETORIC? WOULD IT LOSE SHIITE SUPPORT TO AMAL, OR OTHER GROUPS? AGAIN, AS INSIDE IRAN, PERHAPS THIS IS A CASE OF DOMESTIC POLITICS DICTATING A RADICAL FOREIGN-POLICY AGENDA.

ISRAEL'S OWN POLICY VIS-A-VIS IRAN IS (I THINK) A CAREFULLY BALANCED ONE: ISRAEL DOES NOT REGARD THE IRANIAN PEOPLE AS AN ENEMY, AND HAS STATED AS MUCH PUBLICLY. HOWEVER, ISRAEL IS DEEPLY CONCERNED- AS IS THE UNITED STATES - BY THE PRESENTLY HOSTILE ATTITUDES OF THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT,BY ITS ACTIVE OPPOSITION TO THE PEACE PROCESS AND OPEN SUPPORT OF TERRORISM, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF MISSILE AND NON-CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS CAPABILITIES. TOGETHER, THESE ARE NATURALLY PERCEIVED BY ISRAEL AS A THREAT. TO THIS ONE MUST ADD THE CRUEL AND VINDICTIVE TREATMENT OF THE JEWISH MINORITY AS EXPRESSED BY THE TRIAL AND IMPRISONMENT ON FALSE CHARGES OF A GROUP OF IRANIAN JEWS. ON THE OTHER HAND, ONE MAY RECALL THAT IRAN INTERESTINGLY PROPOSED AT THE UN THE CONCEPT OF "A DIALOGUE OF CIVILIZATIONS", A BROAD AND IMPRESSIVE VISION OF PEACE ECHOING THAT OF THE JEWISH PROPHET ISAIAH. INDEED, WHEN IT WAS PUT TO THE VOTE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, ISRAEL VOTED FOR THE IRANIAN PROPOSAL. BUT DISAPPOINTMENT SOON SET IN WHEN IRAN MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE DIALOGUE WOULD NOT BE UNIVERSAL, AS IT EXCLUDED JUST ONE COUNTRY, ISRAEL, REPOSITORY AND VEHICLE OF THE ANCIENT, AND NOW REJUVENATED, JEWISH CIVILISATION. ONE MUST CONCLUDE THEN THAT IF UNIVERSALITY IS NOT RESPECTED, "DIALOGUE" BECOMES A FARCE. THOSE INTERESTED IN HISTORY ARE INVITED TO READ THE LAST VERSES OF THE LAST BOOK IN THE JEWISH BIBLE (CHRONICLES II) WHERE THEY WILL FIND WARM WORDS OF PRAISE FOR PERSIAN KING CYRUS. IT IS NOT TOO FAR-FETCHED TO THINK THAT THE PAST MAY BE THE KEY TO THE FUTURE.

AS IRAN MOVES HALTINGLY, BUT INEXORABLY, ALONG THE ROAD TO REFORM AND MODERNITY, THERE MAY BE EVENTUAL POSSIBILITIES FOR A NEW AND MORE POSITIVE DEFINITION OF THE IRANIAN-ISRAELI RELATIONSHIP. MEANWHILE, ISRAELIS MUST CONTINUE TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS. AFTER ALL, THEIR COUNTRY IS ONLY ONE-TENTH THE SIZE OF IRAN (IN POPULATION), AND THEY HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS TO DEAL WITH ALREADY.

DAVID ZOHAR
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL

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