BICOM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his annual address to the foreign press corps yesterday said that pressure on Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions could only work if it was accompanied by a credible threat of US-led military action. The Prime Minister stressed that he considered that the latest round of sanctions were having an effect, but warned that the regime would ‘change course’ only in the presence of a military option. Netanyahu also appeared to distance himself from recent remarks by outgoing Mossad head Meir Dagan, according to which Iran would be unlikely to develop a nuclear weapon before 2015. The prime minister noted that ‘intelligence estimates’ were indeed ‘estimates’, and that therefore they ranged from best-case to worst-case possibilities, with room for a number of assessments. An unnamed political source quoted in Haaretz said that Netanyahu had been ‘very unhappy’ with Dagan expressing his views on this matter in public. Netanyahu also bemoaned the influence of Iran on regional politics, referring to the strong alliance between Iran and Syria. He said he saw no clear willingness on the part of Syria to break with Teheran.

Attendees at the press conference had been particularly anticipating Netanyahu’s response to indications that the Palestinian Authority is pursuing a policy of unilateralism, seeking to pressurise Israel by obtaining recognition of a Palestinian state from third parties. The prime minister’s response on this matter was unequivocal, but contained few surprises. He reiterated his government’s willingness to begin negotiations, and said that the Palestinians, by their refusal to return to direct talks without a renewed settlement freeze, were missing an opportunity for peace. He noted the moves his government has made to advance the possibility of fruitful negotiations, including reducing restrictions on movement and access for Palestinians in the West Bank. Netanyahu dismissed the possibility of an ‘imposed settlement’ from the outside, without entering into further detail.