Factotum
01-03-07, 06:20
Minister calls on Israel to join Nato
By Tim Butcher in Jerusalem
Last Updated: 2:11am GMT 03/01/2007
An Israeli cabinet minister yesterday called for the Jewish State to turn its back on the Middle East region and work towards joining Nato and the European Union.
Avigdor Lieberman, a right-wing politician who serves as minister for strategic threats, claimed violence by Palestinian militants was no different from terrorist acts by jihadists against members of Nato and EU.
"Israel's diplomatic and security goal... must be clear: joining Nato and entering the European Union," he said.
"The war we are waging in the Middle East is not a war of the state of Israel alone, it is a war of the entire free world, and we are situated on the front lines.
"Today, Palestinian terrorism is part of the worldwide jihad.
"Palestinian terrorism is fuelled by al-Qa'eda, the Iranians and Hizbollah."
He rejected suggestions that membership of a group such as Nato would clip the wings of the notoriously free-thinking and often ruthless Israeli Defence Force.
"There is no doubt that membership in Nato would still afford us 100 percent freedom in military activity."
Israel has long argued its conflict with Palestinian militants is part of the wider global clash with militant jihadism.
Critics dismiss this argument saying the Palestinian question is a straightforward land dispute and they accuse Israel of dishonestly using jihadism to justify its continued illegal occupation of Palestinian land.
While Nato is not offering Israel full membership in the near future, links between it and the Jewish State have been strengthening in recent years, especially in the area of intelligence about militant Islam.
Three months ago Israel became the first non-European nation chosen by Nato to work within its Individual Cooperation Programme.
The programme specifies 27 areas of cooperation including response to terrorism, intelligence sharing, political dialogue, and a host of military and civilian issues including search and rescue operations.
Full membership would afford Israel the same guarantee of mutual defence offered to all members.
Historically, this meant that if one member of the alliance was attacked, the full might of Nato would come to its defence.
Israeli membership of Nato would mean America would be obliged to protect the Jewish State were it attacked by Iran, whose leadership repeatedly calls for Israel to be wiped off the map.
Any such guarantee through Nato, however, would simply duplicate the existing bilateral defence pact between Israel and America which provides the same threat of protection by America.
As a Middle East nation, Israel has ambitions nevertheless of being seen as a European country.
Its national soccer team plays in the European zone for World Cup qualification and Israel has long been a member of the European broadcasting union that earns it a place in the annual Eurovision Song Contest.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/02/wisrael02.xml
By Tim Butcher in Jerusalem
Last Updated: 2:11am GMT 03/01/2007
An Israeli cabinet minister yesterday called for the Jewish State to turn its back on the Middle East region and work towards joining Nato and the European Union.
Avigdor Lieberman, a right-wing politician who serves as minister for strategic threats, claimed violence by Palestinian militants was no different from terrorist acts by jihadists against members of Nato and EU.
"Israel's diplomatic and security goal... must be clear: joining Nato and entering the European Union," he said.
"The war we are waging in the Middle East is not a war of the state of Israel alone, it is a war of the entire free world, and we are situated on the front lines.
"Today, Palestinian terrorism is part of the worldwide jihad.
"Palestinian terrorism is fuelled by al-Qa'eda, the Iranians and Hizbollah."
He rejected suggestions that membership of a group such as Nato would clip the wings of the notoriously free-thinking and often ruthless Israeli Defence Force.
"There is no doubt that membership in Nato would still afford us 100 percent freedom in military activity."
Israel has long argued its conflict with Palestinian militants is part of the wider global clash with militant jihadism.
Critics dismiss this argument saying the Palestinian question is a straightforward land dispute and they accuse Israel of dishonestly using jihadism to justify its continued illegal occupation of Palestinian land.
While Nato is not offering Israel full membership in the near future, links between it and the Jewish State have been strengthening in recent years, especially in the area of intelligence about militant Islam.
Three months ago Israel became the first non-European nation chosen by Nato to work within its Individual Cooperation Programme.
The programme specifies 27 areas of cooperation including response to terrorism, intelligence sharing, political dialogue, and a host of military and civilian issues including search and rescue operations.
Full membership would afford Israel the same guarantee of mutual defence offered to all members.
Historically, this meant that if one member of the alliance was attacked, the full might of Nato would come to its defence.
Israeli membership of Nato would mean America would be obliged to protect the Jewish State were it attacked by Iran, whose leadership repeatedly calls for Israel to be wiped off the map.
Any such guarantee through Nato, however, would simply duplicate the existing bilateral defence pact between Israel and America which provides the same threat of protection by America.
As a Middle East nation, Israel has ambitions nevertheless of being seen as a European country.
Its national soccer team plays in the European zone for World Cup qualification and Israel has long been a member of the European broadcasting union that earns it a place in the annual Eurovision Song Contest.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/02/wisrael02.xml