Israeli experts defend the Iran nuclear deal
By George J. Mitchell OCTOBER 13, 2017
George J. Mitchell served as the majority leader of the US Senate, as independent chairman of the Northern Ireland Peace Talks, as chairman of the International Fact-Finding Committee on Violence in the Middle East, and as US special envoy for Middle East Peace.
The debate in the United States over the Iran nuclear agreement has gone on for two years. Three positions have been extensively covered in the press: (1) American supporters of the agreement, notably former president Obama and his secretary of state, John Kerry, (2) American opponents, notably President Trump and Republican congressional leaders, and (3) Israeli opponents, notably Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
This has created the impression that while Americans are divided on the issue, Israelis are not. That is a false impression. Like the United States, Israel is a vibrant democracy in which issues are vigorously debated. While some experts support Netanyahu’s position, the excerpts that follow demonstrate strong disagreement by Israelis who have served in senior positions in Israel’s defense establishment.
Ehud Barak, former Israeli prime minister and former defense minister, Oct. 2017:
“It would be a mistake for President Trump to decertify the Iran nuclear deal. Even if America decides to pull out of it, no one will join — not the Chinese, not the Russians, not even the Europeans. It will serve the Iranians.”
Uzi Eilam, former head of the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission, July 2016:
“Since the deal was signed, Iran has reduced its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98 percent — leaving them with an amount far below what is needed to build even one bomb. They have dismantled 12,000 centrifuges, blocking their capacity to enrich uranium. They have agreed to an increased presence of IAEA inspectors on the ground, the installation of the most modern monitoring equipment and unprecedented surveillance of the entire uranium and centrifuge supply chains. Finally, they have removed and disabled the core of the plutonium reactor they had almost finished constructing in Arak and filled it in with cement. Simply put, every single one of their pathways to a nuclear weapon has been blocked. The deal has been a major success.”
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