Liberman: Arabs Have Realized Their Enemy is the Iranian Regime, Not Israel

Avigdor Liberman, the Israeli Defense Minister, in an exclusive interview with Radio Farda emphasized the long-standing friendship between Iran and Israel, stating that the hostility of the Islamic Republic towards Israel has led Arabs to understand that the "extremist regime" of Iran is their enemy, not Israel. In the conversation with Mehrdad Mirdamadi, a correspondent for Radio Farda in Tel Aviv, conducted on Tuesday, September 4, he also stressed that Israel's "determination and will" is to never allow Tehran to continue its military presence in Syrian territory. Liberman noted the recent closeness between Israel and the Gulf Arab states, saying, "This may be the first time that moderate Arabs understand that their main enemy is not Israel, Jews, or Zionism, but rather the extremist and radical regime of Iran." According to this senior Israeli official, "We owe this change in their [Arabs'] perception to the Iranian regime, and undoubtedly, this is a step forward." Israel has particularly managed to get closer to Gulf Arab countries in the past two years, emphasizing their common enemy, Iran. In this context, the New York Times reported in 2016 about increased closeness between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with Israel in a "non-written alliance against Iran," evaluating the new communication pathways between them as "serious and important." The newspaper noted that relations between Arab countries and Israel have been increasingly progressing recently, with new communication pathways between them being "real" and "important." "We are completely opposed to their military presence [in Syria]," Liberman expressed skepticism about the reduction of Iranian activity in Syria, emphasizing, "We are monitoring them, and our determination is to prevent their desire to turn Syria into a base against Israel." He continued, "Our hope is that our message is very clear, that we will spare no effort to prevent the establishment of a base in our neighborhood." According to this official, Israel believes that "Iran is an independent country and has every right to cooperate and engage with Syria; we are not against economic, diplomatic, or other cooperation between these two countries." However, he emphasized, "We are completely opposed to their military presence, opposed to their efforts to destabilize the entire Middle East, the stability of our entire region, and of course, we will never agree to their military presence in Syrian territory and will never allow them to harm the State of Israel." The Russian news agency TASS reported in July that the forces under the command of the Islamic Republic have moved dozens of kilometers away from the Golan Heights in Syria. This news came less than a month after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that he had delivered a clear message to Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, during a meeting. Netanyahu's "clear message" was that his country opposes any Iranian presence in Syria. Regarding his country's understanding with Russia, the Israeli Defense Minister explained: "The channels of dialogue and communication between us and Russia are open; we speak to each other with sincerity and an open mind. Moreover, it is in Russia's interest to maintain stability in Syria, which is why they have invested in Syria." However, he noted, "On the other hand, Iranian activity in Syria undermines stability in this country." Liberman told Mehrdad Mirdamadi, "We have no problem with the Iranian people; our problem is with this regime, a dogmatic and insane regime that every day we hear speeches about wanting to destroy the State of Israel, which will never accept our existence, and even write in Hebrew on their ballistic missiles that they want to wipe Israel off the map." This Israeli official referred to statements by several Islamic Republic officials, including several commanders of the Revolutionary Guards, who have repeatedly spoken of the "eradication" of Israel. "Iran's political ambitions combined with nuclear weapons are problematic for everyone," the Israeli Defense Minister continued, emphasizing the non-peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities, deeming them dangerous not only for Israel but for the entire Middle East region. According to this Israeli official, "Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons is the greatest danger to the stability of all," and "Iran's political ambitions combined with nuclear weapons will be problematic for everyone." Despite this, the Israeli Defense Minister insisted that "their goal is to achieve nuclear weapons, not a nuclear reactor," and to prove this, he referred to "evidence" that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, recently presented to the media. Netanyahu announced in May that Israel had obtained "documents and evidence" of Iran's secret nuclear advancements, indicating Tehran's "deception of the world." Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Minister responded that the Israeli Prime Minister's statements were a repetition of old information that had previously been reviewed by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Since the signing of the so-called JCPOA, the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly confirmed that Iran has adhered to the terms of this agreement. According to Avigdor Liberman, this evidence "undoubtedly proves that Iran is seeking to build a nuclear reactor with the aim of creating nuclear weapons." In response to the European countries' skepticism regarding this Israeli position, Liberman likened their historical behavior to the leaders of Europe during the Nazi Germany era, who, according to historical documents, were slow to recognize the danger posed by Hitler. He stated, "Regarding the various positions of countries, I must say that this is like the time before World War II when Western leaders faced a choice between war and infamy. They chose infamy, and in the end, both were their lot; Churchill explained this." He continued, "Now we are right in the same situation, which is regrettable. We see today what problems the whole world faces because of North Korea, and one can imagine that Iran having nuclear weapons would be a much bigger challenge and a much more serious issue."