Power of embarrassment

The bad news is that Europe has apparently given up on the issue of the Iranian bomb, and at least part of it has already come to terms with Iran possessing nuclear capabilities.  

How should Israel, therefore, conduct itself in the coming months with regards to the Iranian bomb? I will not relate to the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iran in this article, but rather, to our potential overt and covert activity in the short term. 

On the rhetorical level, Israel must not utter a single word against Iran. Iran would inevitably take advantage of such declarations just as the Islamic Movement is taking advantage of the Temple Mount affair. In such a case, Iran would likely present its effort as a pan-Muslim struggle against Israel. Therefore, a unified stance should be taken by all government and opposition ministers on this issue.  

There is much to be done on other levels. Covertly, it is incumbent on Israel to provide intelligence information to the world, particularly to the US, in order to highlight Iran's intentions. Further measures should include bringing the Germans and Americans together, bringing in the Chinese, and presenting the facts to the Russians. Israel should serve as the dynamo behind the global, diplomatic and commercial or any other type of struggle against Iran, but should do so with complete secrecy. 

Israel's moral dimension 

Israel has another highly powerful advantage that no other nation possesses, and I am referring to the moral dimension. Jewish organizations worldwide, in cooperation with the Jewish Agency and the World Jewish Congress, should regularly demonstrate outside the Iranian embassies in the West in order to embarrass the Iranians and to prevent the issue from being taken off the public agenda. 

These activities should be performed by Jewish organizations, not the State of Israel. Topics on the agenda should include Iran's intent to annihilate Israel, the Holocaust deniers' plan for another Holocaust, and so on and so forth.  

This would be the harshest blow for a country such as Iran, whose legitimacy is quickly waning. International embarrassment would be more damaging to the Iranians than missiles. Israel should not formally be involved in the demonstrations of protest. Generally speaking, it's about time that our policies became a little more sophisticated and less one-dimensional.  

I wouldn't protest against the Khomeini regime in Iran, as such a struggle is far too broad and not focused enough. It would suffice to protest against Iran regarding Israeli and anti-Semitic issues. 

Local heroes should be located for this type of struggle; they would come up with slogans that would resonate in the international media. The struggle should take place on the streets, on the Internet, in the blogs and in the press with the aim of transforming the issue of the Iranian threat into an integral part of European and American internal politics.

The protest demonstrations should also be held outside the large German Banks, Iran's lifeline, and vis-à-vis European commercial and economic elements that cooperate with Teheran - so that they too would be embarrassed.  

It's worthwhile recalling how in the 1970s Jewish organizations worldwide succeeded in cracking the Soviet Iron Curtain with the "Let my people go" campaign, which greatly embarrassed the Soviet Union.

Ahmadinejad's dubious gift

The message should be: Iran is a moral stain around the neck of the world, as it is the only nation in the world that is threatening to annihilate another. In this regard, we received a gift from Ahmadinejad when he held his Holocaust denial conference. There is global consensus on this matter, which works in our favor.

Such pressure would assure the continuation of international sanctions, perhaps even harsher ones, until absolute cessation of the nuclear project is reached. Perhaps it would also bring about the demise of the Khomeini regime, which constitutes the most stubborn link, albeit the last, in the axis of evil.