Halutz: Iranian problem not only ours
Chief of Staff addresses Iranian threat, Palestinian developments in 2006; says chief of staff said that there are ways to deal with Qassam rockets, but that such solutions would require 'breaking ethical constraints'
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Dan Halutz said that the Iranians were heading towards nuclear capability, and added that the entire world was dealing with the threat posed by Teheran.
"The Iranian problem is not only ours, and the proof is the international diplomatic pressure being placed on the Iranians," said Halutz, in an interview with army journalists.
"Today they announced that they were renewing the process of enriching uranium, in other words they set themselves up. Now we'll see how the ball is played. There is no Israeli hand trying to hit the ball. The whole world has risen against them – including the Europeans, the Americans, even the Russians suggested that the program be carried out under their supervisions," he said.
The chief of staff said that "there is no doubt that the Iranians are heading for the edge; when one walks on the edge, it is easy to stumble. They need to think about how far they are going and how far they want to go."
"At this time, it's not only Israel's problem. It's enough to see the means the ranges the Iranians are developing – it covers much more than Israel. This should worry a lot more countries," he added.
Earlier, Halutz convened a meeting of senior officers to discuss the cut in the defense budget, as well as the ongoing anarchy in the Palestinian Authority, and tensions on the northern border. The meeting also focused on changes to the IDF's structure.
Halutz pointed out that there was no working plan in 2006 for missions dealing directly with the Iranian threat.
"The issues are constantly being taken care of, some of them will come to pass in 2006, and some in 2007. We are not dealing with something specific connected to Iran, but we are continuing to develop abilities that are not specifically developed for dealing with Iran," Halutz said.
Heading towards nukes
The chief of staff added that the Iranians were continuing to head towards possessing an ability to create nuclear weapons, and that Teheran resumed the uranium enrichment process on Monday.
Halutz addressed possible developments on the Palestinian front in 2006.
He said there was a range of possibilities for the coming year, some of which depended on the outcome of the Palestinian elections.
"If Hamas carries out terror attack, the army will of course provide the answers," said Halutz.
The chief of staff said that there were ways to deal with the Qassam rockets, but that such solutions would require "breaking ethical constraints."
"I don't recommend it," he said.
Halutz added that an aggressive operation by Israel could harm innocent civilians, and that such an operation was not currently on the agenda.
He said that tensions remained on the northern border, saying that "Hizbullah has proven that they are ready to try and kidnap a soldier. This could happen again, or many times in the future. There's no doubt that they haven't had the last word, and we have to be prepared."
