Amos Nadai
Editor's Note:
Israel is deeply concerned over the Iranian nuclear program, and fears of an Israeli strike on the Islamic republic have grown. Would Israel go to war by itself? What is its ultimate red line? Global Time (
GT) reporter Wei Lai talked to Amos Nadai (
Nadai), the Israeli ambassador to China, on these issues.
GT: In an interview with us last week, Iran's ambassador to Beijing said that he doesn't know what the red line for Israel over war is. Would you like to explain to us what the red line is?
Nadai:We don't have a bilateral problem with Iran. Israelis and Iranians had a long history of cooperation until 1979, when the Iran regime decided it wanted this to change.
Iran is posing a big problem, a threat to the region and to the world, not only to Israel. Iran is not Israel's problem alone. If you ask some of the neighboring countries of Iran about their opinion, you will hear the same thing.
Israel is hoping very much that there are solutions to Iran's problem. I mean we hope their constant mission and work to enhance military nuclear program could be put to an end through diplomatic means, including sanctions. If that doesn't work, I hope other solutions will work. But Israel is not willing to be at the head of this. It is a global affair.
The whole world should look together and unite to fight against the ambition of Iran to become a military nuclear country. Iran, if nuclearized, will be a threat to the region and to the stability of the whole world. It will become a big problem, not only for Israel and the region, but also for many other countries, China included.
GT: Iran's top leadership recently openly declared the new achievements of their nuclear programs, which has unnerved the whole world. Do you think Iran has crossed the red line?
Nadai: I need to correct you and say that this is not new. And Iran's latest achievements are not new either. All the time, they have been proceeding with the program and meanwhile talking to other countries so as to further promote the program. I'm glad that more and more members of the international community are realizing this threat. The reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency have clearly stated what Iran is doing and what it is trying to hide.
GT: A recent report by Washington Post said that Israel was preparing to attack Iran later this year. What's your comment on the report?
Nadai: Iran's been a problem to the world. Israeli leaders thus have the responsibility to take care of and provide security to its citizens. In this context, having said enough about the responsibility of the international community, we have to keep options on the table.
This may be interpreted by the media very widely, but that's their right. We really don't want to be involved in this kind of conflict with Iran. But we do hope the Iran problem will be treated and managed very seriously by the international community.
GT: Do you think the US smart power strategy works well in the Middle East and in Asia Pacific?
Nadai: I think the smart power policy reflects some differences between the Democrats and Republicans in the US. I think the long-standing US involvement in our region is positive. Both Democrats and Republicans have been trying to enhance development and peace between different parties in the region, whether using soft power or smart power. We are grateful for this.
As we have said before, Israel and the US together seek advantages for everybody and to push forward peace and development in the Middle East. It is also important for other countries. So we welcome this kind of intervention from the US, using any kind of power they want.
GT: This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Sino-Israeli relationship. What has impressed you most about China?
Nadai: China and Israel are really old friends. There is very deep mutual respect between the two countries and we are doing a lot of things together. I feel honored to have been an ambassador to China for the past five years and I'm still enjoying every minute of it.
China's situation is very similar to Israel, because I think development first and foremost depends on education. The Israeli scientists, experts and Nobel laureates coming to China told me that China will soon become No.1 in global research and development, because of the people's efforts and the resources the government is allocating.
Frankly, Israel is living in a very complicated neighborhood. Some of our neighbors still are not willing to ease the tensions. The US is the only country in the world that has given us good assurances that have proved themselves several times in history. So if the US comes to us and asks us about something that they think is vital to their interest, we will accept.
That said, Israel has been cooperating with China in very wide areas like science, technology, agriculture and education, even in military.
Not very long ago, Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, had an excellent visit to Israel and our Minister of Defense Ehud Barak also had an excellent visit to Beijing. We are expecting his Chinese counterpart will visit Israel in the future. Everything is fully transparent toward our friends. We don't think there is any problem with the triangle of China, the US and Israel.