Former defense official: Israel owes security to relations with Arab states
Amos Gilad, the former head of the Defense Ministry’s political affairs bureau, credits Israel’s security with its relationship with its Arab neighbors.
“All our security services have great relationships with Arab countries. That’s an incredible asset for Israel,” he says, referring to Egypt and Jordan, as well as “other” unnamed Arab nations.
“According to foreign reports, even Sudan is changing,” Gilad says.
However, the former defense official says, those ties will also be limited until Israel deals with the Palestinian issue.
“Will there be a peace agreement? I’m not one who thinks there will be. But we need to give it a chance,” he says.
Gilad warns that if Israel’s security cooperation with the Palestinians breaks down, the results could be disastrous, with international ramifications.
The former IDF general disagrees with the view that the Iranian nuclear deal inherently means that the Shiite republic would develop such a weapon.
“It depends on what the world does.”
Gilad says that “everyone agrees that Iran with a nuclear weapon is intolerable.”
He adds that it would be an “image problem” for Israel as well, which has been working tirelessly to prevent its creation.
In addition to the threat of an Iranian nuke itself, it would also inspire other countries in the region to develop their own.
“What? Egypt won’t want a nuclear weapon?” he asks rhetorically.
Gilad defends former US president Barack Obama, who he says has become something of a punching bag for Israel.
“It’s easy to critize [Obama]. But on the military front, the relationship was incredible, is incredible and will continue to be incredible,” he says.
“And besides, we don’t have a replacement for the United States.”
— Judah Ari Gross
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