This is what he
said in 2012:
Ari Shavit: If so, maybe it’s already too late. The Iranians won
and we lost and we have to resign ourselves to Iran’s being in possession of
nuclear weapons in the near future.
Moshe Yaalon: “Absolutely not. It will be disastrous if we or
the international community become resigned to the idea of a nuclear Iran. The
regime of the ayatollahs is apocalyptic-messianic in character. It poses a
challenge to Western culture and to the world order. Its scale of values and
its religious beliefs are different, and its ambition is to foist them on
everyone. Accordingly, it is an obligation to prevent this nonconventional
regime from acquiring nonconventional weapons. Neither we nor the West is at
liberty to accept an Iranian nuclear bomb. What I am telling you is not
rhetoric and it is not propaganda. A nuclear Iran is a true threat to world
peace.”
Ari Shavit: But the Iranians are rational, and the use of
nuclear weapons is an irrational act. Like the Soviets, they will never do
that.
Moshe Yaalon: “A Western individual observing the fantastic
ambitions of the Iranian leadership scoffs: ‘What do they think, that they will
Islamize us?’ The surprising answer is: Yes, they think they will Islamize us:
The ambition of the present regime in Tehran is for the Western world to become
Muslim at the end of a lengthy process. Accordingly, we have to understand that
their rationality is completely different from our rationality. Their concepts
are different and their considerations are different. They are completely
unlike the former Soviet Union. They are not even like Pakistan or North Korea.
If Iran enjoys a nuclear umbrella and the feeling of strength of a nuclear
power, there is no knowing how it will behave. It will be impossible to
accommodate a nuclear Iran and it will be impossible to attain stability. The
consequences of a nuclear Iran will be catastrophic.”
And this is what he
says now:
Ya'alon pans Netanyahu as fear-monger, announces run
in next election
Former defense minister attacks current leadership of
Israel, saying “at this point, and in the foreseeable future, there is no
existential threat facing Israel."
he “Bogie” Ya’alon will run for national leadership in
Israel's next elections, he announced during a speech at the Herzliya
Conference on Thursday.
Ya’alon also attacked the current leadership of Israel, saying “at this point, and in the foreseeable future, there is no existential threat facing Israel. Thus it is fitting that the leadership of the country stop scaring the citizenry and stop giving them the feeling that we are standing before a second Holocaust.”
Ya'alon said that it isn't security threats that keep him awake at night, rather the social and moral problems facing Israel.
Ya’alon also attacked the current leadership of Israel, saying “at this point, and in the foreseeable future, there is no existential threat facing Israel. Thus it is fitting that the leadership of the country stop scaring the citizenry and stop giving them the feeling that we are standing before a second Holocaust.”
Ya'alon said that it isn't security threats that keep him awake at night, rather the social and moral problems facing Israel.
If there is something that I lose sleep at night about, it’s
not the truckloads of weapons in Syria and Lebanon or Iran’s attempts to wage
terror – Israel has the capabilities to deal with these forcefully and with
sophistication. If there is something that I lose sleep over, it’s the cracks
in Israel’s society, the erosion of basic values, the attempts to harm IDF
soldiers and their commanders. It is a fact – the leadership is tempestuous and
being dragged.”
He also said of Iran that nuclear program, for years a major focus of Prime Minister Netanyahu, will "be frozen in light of the the [nuclear] deal signed [by world powers] does not constitute an immediate, existential threat for Israel."
The speech was the first given by Ya’alon since he resigned from the government on May 20th, a decision he said he made "following the recent conduct" of Netanyahu, and "in light of my lack of faith in him."
He also said of Iran that nuclear program, for years a major focus of Prime Minister Netanyahu, will "be frozen in light of the the [nuclear] deal signed [by world powers] does not constitute an immediate, existential threat for Israel."
The speech was the first given by Ya’alon since he resigned from the government on May 20th, a decision he said he made "following the recent conduct" of Netanyahu, and "in light of my lack of faith in him."
Ya’alon’s decision to leave the government came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ousted him as defense minister in favor of Avigdor Liberman, as part of negotiations to bring the Yisrael Beytenu party into the coalition.
Ya'alon also spoke of the importance of Israel's alliance with the United States, which he described as essential to Israel's security and diplomatic needs.
Following Ya'alon's remarks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party accused the former defense minister Moshe Ya'alon of flip-flopping on his previous positions.
"Just a few months ago he said Iran is an existential concern for Israel, today when turned into a politician at the Herzliya Conference, he said that Israel faces no existential threat," the party said in a statement. "It's funny how quickly Ya'alon changed his hide."
