Vice Prime Minister & Minister of Strategic Affairs (Likud) Moshe Ya’alon on Wednesday had his turn at bat at the Herzliya Conference, of course addressing the growing Iranian threat faced by Israel.

Ya’alon stated that while it may be acceptable to adopt the operating premise that others may do the dirty work for Israel, we must also accept the teachings of the Sages, “If I am not for myself who will be for me?”

He told the audience that despite the “precious time wasted” with [weak] futile sanctions, Iran can still be stopped in time and the Iranian people may still return to the international community.

He did not rule out the military option if it is necessary, and called on the international community to send a clear message to Iran by imposing crippling sanctions, while simultaneously announcing force will be used if there are no other alternatives.

Ya’alon ties Iran’s continued progress towards nuclear independence as a possible explanation for Turkey’s radical change, the current anti-Israel policy, explaining if Turkey’s leaders feel that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will indeed lead his nation towards becoming a nuclear power, this may be prompting Turkey’s shift in relations with Israel. The same holds true with Syria he explained, that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is not likely to cut ties with Tehran for as long as the nuclear program continues.

He added that a nuclear Iran would destabilize the reason, and it may also prompt other neighboring nations to launch initiatives towards nuclear independence, further complicating the situation in the Mideast.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)