Sa'ar urges PM to make Iran nuclear program prime concern in US visit

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
22 Jul 2024 21:34

Israeli right-wing politician Gideon Sa'ar calls for a proactive security policy against "Israel's" enemies during a Knesset session.

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Ex-Israeli Minister of Justice Gideon Saar arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new government in occupied al-Quds, occupied Palestine, on June 20, 2021. (AP)

The head of the Israeli right-wing party New Hope, Gideon Sa'ar, blasted the successive Israeli governments for "30 years of incorrect political and security," policies on Monday during his address to the Knesset.

Sa'ar focused his speech on Israeli security policies, including those aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, while reiterating his rejection of a "two-state policy" when it comes to Palestinians.

The former member of the disbanded coalition government, which was formed following October 7, 2023, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make the Iranian nuclear program a top priority during his visit to Washington.

Netanyahu is expected to land in the United States on Monday to address Congress in Washington on Wednesday. He has scheduled several high-level meetings until then.

The leader of the Israeli New Hope party stressed that "Israel" must "charge Iran a price for its aggression" and work with allies "to stop the Iranian nuclear project."

He accused the Iranian government of causing "problems in the Middle East," saying that "its overthrow is a regional, Western, and international interest."

Sa'ar called for the Israeli occupation to go on the offensive, lambasting policies of containment, stressing that "the fight against Iran and its proxies cannot be merely reactive."

"Israel" reinstates working groups on the Iranian nuclear program

Earlier in June, Netanyahu reinstated working groups comprising members of "Israel's" security establishment, Foreign Ministry, and intelligence community to focus on Iran's nuclear program, Axios reported, citing three senior Israeli officials.

Both "Israel" and the US are worried that Iran might attempt to advance its nuclear technology, including weaponization efforts, in the lead-up to the US presidential elections, two Israeli and two US officials indicated. However, Iran has repeatedly underlined that its nuclear program only serves peaceful purposes and that nuclear weapons have no place in its nuclear doctrine.

In the early 2000s, Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei issued a religious decree banning the development of nuclear weapons.

Nonetheless, Israeli and American officials pointed out that the US might struggle to respond promptly to any Iranian nuclear advances during this period due to leaders’ divided attention between the presidential campaign and the ongoing war on Gaza.

An American official told Axios that the US intelligence community believes Iran is not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon but has engaged in "provocative" nuclear activities "that will not go unchallenged."

Axios reported last week that, in recent months, Israeli and US intelligence communities have been investigating new information suggesting that Iran is allegedly conducting activities related to the development of nuclear weapons.