“How did Israel become the major protagonist in this story, after years of consistently lending its support to international diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions? On the surface, it looks like it is Israel that has thrust itself to the forefront by making overt threats to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities as a last option before Iran becomes a nuclear weapons state. Pundits explain that Israel feels an existential threat from Iran – which others do not – and is therefore issuing these threats.

But the truly disturbing, and largely unmentioned part of this picture is how the international community implicitly opened the space for Israel to come forward. Its lack of a coordinated approach, and its weak level of determination, in facing Iran is what has enabled Iran over the past decade to slowly but surely advance its nuclear program and establish the basis for a military capability.

Israel’s hopes for a successful outcome through dialogue and its support for ongoing diplomatic efforts have been replaced by an increasing sense of fear and frustration with the way events have unfolded. Until recently, the international community remained divided even over the very question of Iran’s military ambitions, and today, the remaining question marks having been removed by the November 2011 IAEA report on Iran, Russia and China continue to stubbornly resist harsher sanctions. The past 10 years included much talk of diplomacy but very little by way of demonstrated expertise in conducting the kind of hard bargaining that would be necessary to face a determined nuclear proliferator like Iran.”

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