Israel will not outsource its vital security interests to anyone, “not even to
our closest and most trusted allies,” Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in London
on Wednesday.
Speaking at the British Israel Communications and Research
Center, Barak addressed Iran’s uranium enrichment program: “All options are on
the table to prevent Iran from crossing the point of no return. We expect all
those who say it to mean it; we mean it.”
The defense minister signaled
that Jerusalem would not rely on US assurances to prevent Iran from becoming a
nuclear weapons state.
“The State of Israel was founded precisely so that
our fate would remain in our own hands. When it comes to the very future of
Israel, and its vital security interests, we cannot… and will not outsource the
responsibility for making the decision. Not even to our closest and most
trusted allies,” he said.
“We live in a tough neighborhood, one in which
there is no mercy for the weak and no second chance for those who cannot defend
themselves – ‘a villa in the jungle,’ as I once put it. In such a place, it is
imperative to remain strong, open-eyed, with both feet on the ground,” Barak
said.
“We always say that a pessimist in the Middle East is merely an
optimist with experience,” he added.
Turning his sights to Syria, Barak
noted that over 30,000 Syrians have been killed in that country’s civil war,
adding that “Iran and Hezbollah are the only allies Assad has left. They will
suffer a major blow with his inevitable downfall. We can only hope that it won’t
end up in total chaos, and another hotbed of terror on our
borders.”
Israel will take military action should it identify an attempt
to transfer Syrian chemical weapons to terrorists, the defense minister
warned.
“Taking into account the warm ties between Hezbollah and Syria, I
have instructed the IDF to closely monitor the possible transfer of advanced
weapons systems and Assad’s chemical arsenal into Lebanon. We will take any
necessary action to prevent this,” he said during the speech.
Barak also
touched on changes in Egypt, noting that the country has “entered a new era. The
Muslim Brotherhood regime provides a tailwind for Hamas in Gaza and extremists
in Jordan.”
At the same time, Barak said, “The peace treaty with Egypt
remains a strategic asset for both countries and we expect the new government to
respect it, as well as all their other international obligations, for the sake
of peace and stability for the entire region.”