Israel wants a 'hopeful' post-conflict Middle East reality and resolute relations with EU
As its military gains the upper hand in its conflict with Iran so far, Israel is now proceeding to expand on its reasons for action and its vision towards “a bigger picture,” in a broader Middle East and Europe-related context that transcends its current offensive in Iran.
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00:00The U.S. intervention, full intervention, if that is approved and announced, it will bring this from a more of a regional conflict to a rather global conflict.
00:15What are the possible consequences in this case for the conflict, for the war, and for Israel?
00:23I would like to mention that Iran possesses a threat not only to Israel, not only to Israel, to the region and also to Europe.
00:32They are involved in promoting terror.
00:34They are involved in provocation.
00:37They are involved in many, many acts.
00:41Prisoner, European prisoners as a whole.
00:44And so they are already the main cause for disability in the region and for the world.
00:53And on that, by the way, we expect to see strong support by the international community for this act.
01:00How do you see and how do you actually measure the level of European support right now?
01:05Do you also perceive some certain reset to the way the European Union positioning itself in this support towards Israel regarding the Gaza conflict?
01:18It depends on whom you ask, is the honest answer that I get.
01:23Basically, what we expect is the fact that there is a war right now and Israel is actually leading this war against Iran.
01:33This is the war also for the benefit for the long run of Europe.
01:36So this is not the time right now to examine or to push things or to try to put obstacles on Israel-EU relations.
01:45This is definitely not the time.
01:47A day after we got hit by rockets, you know, many dozens of civilians were injured and killed.
01:54It's not the time right now to discuss it.
01:56Right now is the time to focus on Iran, to focus on this war.
01:59And this is what we expect that the EU will do.
02:03And this is why I wanted to ask you, because allegedly as well Russia expressed interest in possibly being the mediator as well.
02:13We are not right now picking and interviewing leaders who is going to be the mediator.
02:18But again, as I say, Iran is part of the group, anti-Western group, the group that supports Russia in the war.
02:31By the way, harming, harming Iranian missiles facilities is saving Ukrainian life.
02:39By harming their ability to supply missiles and drones to Russia, by that we are contributing or diminishing their capability to harm in, through Russia, Ukrainian.
02:53The timing of Israel's attack on Iran indicated an immediate intervention.
02:58Something changed in the equation.
03:00What led Israel, what triggered that, to attack and to start it last Friday?
03:06Iran has a clear, a clear plan for the annihilation, destruction of the state of Israel.
03:14In the last period, we saw that Iran is accelerating its program, its plan, in two main aspects.
03:22First of all, nuclear program.
03:24And second, production of missile, surface-to-surface missile.
03:28So we come to a point where we saw that we need, we need to act to remove this threat.
03:34We've heard the statements regarding the main goals for Israel, regarding the regime in Iran.
03:42Now, I want to ask you, is the regime change target for Israel?
03:47And are there the scenarios for the prolonged crisis in Iran in that sense?
03:52The target of this military operation is to remove the nuclear threat and the missile threat.
04:00As I mentioned, Iran has a plan, a concrete and operative plan.
04:06And this is the main, main goals of this, our military operation right now.
04:13But these goals cannot be achieved with the current regime in Iran?
04:16Those, we are achieving our IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces.
04:23And all our agencies are doing amazing work and job.
04:29And we are working according to our military plan, even exceeding the military plan and the original plan.
04:36And so far, we are happy with the outcome of what's going on there in Iran, on the ground.
04:41So, we are getting close to achieving all our goals for this war.
04:45In terms of military capabilities, if you can comment on this, to what extent and probably for how long Israel can keep up with these two enormous military operations now happening at the same time?
04:59Israel can keep doing that as long as, until we feel that we succeed to achieve the goals, which mean removing those threats.
05:06Removing those threats, the nuclear and the missile, and terror threats in Gaza.
05:12I think this is an opportunity.
05:13And I want to say one thing about that.
05:15For years, it was a given that this regime is controlled by radical groups, like in Lebanon, Hezbollah, Syria, Assad, Iran, the Mullahs, the Khutis in Yemen.
05:29And the idea was, let's speak with them, the international community.
05:33Let's try to reach an agreement.
05:35Let's try to do something.
05:36Let's try to appease them.
05:37It didn't work.
05:39For the first time in a decade that there is a hope for the people there.
05:44Because see what's happening in Lebanon.
05:47See what's happening in Syria.
05:48It's thanks to the Israeli operation on the ground.
05:52So, Israel is actually, at the end of the road, also serving the purpose of Europe and also the people there in those countries.
06:01Giving them hope.
06:02Because imagine that there will not be, we didn't go into this war that we did not initiate it.
06:10Then, on those days, you still have Hezbollah controlling Lebanon.
06:14You still have Assad controlling Syria.
06:18And you still have the Mullahs and the Khutis.
06:20And Hamas, by the way, as well in Gaza.
06:23So, in the coming years, there was no hope for the people.
06:26And despite the fact there was attempts through diplomacy, through sanctions, on the other hand, it didn't help.
06:35It didn't help.
06:37So, it's happened so that this war, we need to go to this war.
06:41And maybe, not maybe, I'm sure that for the long run, it will improve the situation on the ground for the people of the region.
06:49The people of Israel, of course, but also the people in the region.
06:51But Israel is capable to keep up the pace of the time.
06:55Israel is strong.
06:57Our population is resilient.
06:59And we understand that this is something that we need to do once and for all, whatever price we will pay.
07:07This is right now an opportunity.
07:08We cannot stop in the middle.
07:09And, by the way, we expect the European and international community to join Israel by putting pressure on Iran, on the radical element that's controlling Iran.
07:25Because I expect that the people, the Iranian people, most of them, 80% do not support the regime there.
07:35You see also, you see, I mean, many Iranians actually support in this military operation.
07:43It's not that you have a country with solid support, while in Israel, while in Israel you see massive support, massive support for this military operation.
07:53Is there any chance for diplomacy?
07:54Is the soft power over in general as a bigger picture, with the immense suffering happening now in the Middle East and ongoing?
08:03Is there a way out of this?
08:05War is the only answer paradigm.
08:08Do you see it for Israel and for the Arab world?
08:12Israel is a democracy and not initiating a war.
08:16We are a democracy when we go to a war.
08:19It's only if we do not have a choice or it was initiated by the other side.
08:25So we went to this war because we didn't see any other choice.
08:29For years there was an attempt to solve this problem of nuclear and missile and terror through diplomacy, through sanction, and it didn't help.
08:38We, first and foremost, went to this war to remove a threat, a direct threat for the state of Israel.
08:46But it needs to be used for, as you say, the bigger picture.
08:50And the biggest picture is that for the first time in years there is a hope for the people of the region.
08:57There is a hope.
08:58We saw it in Lebanon, we saw it in Syria, and I hope that we will see it in Iran.
09:02And unfortunately again, unfortunately again, it's not that we choose to do it because we want to go to a war.
09:11We did it because we did not have any other choice to remove this.
09:16So for the long run, I think there is an opportunity.
09:20And if after this, when this war will end, when Israel will remove most of this threat,
09:23this is the time where we're expecting that Europe, the international community, will step in and verify that Iran is not going back to be a bad player,
09:37develop their own nuclear and missile capability, promoting terror, and again, see what's going on today in this war.
09:47And when people ask me, you know, why not to solve it in diplomacy, I ask, why does Iran need a 4,000-kilometer missile to reach Brussels and other places?
09:58For what do they need it?
10:00For what, there is any threat that Europe possess on Iran militarily?
10:05Why is Iran developing this missile?
10:07Why is Iran promoting terror?
10:09Why is Iran supporting Russia?
10:13Why is Iran depressing their own people?
10:17And through the years, none of the actions that the international community led, diplomacy, agreement, sanction, did not help.
10:30Israel did not come here to solve the problem of the world.
10:32Israel came here to solve its own threat that came from Iran.
10:37But due to the success, I see here an opportunity.
10:41And I hope that diplomacy will play a role, but this time will be more concrete, practical, with specific outcomes.
10:51How about the support from the European Union as well as the part of this international community?
10:56What is now Israel's position regarding the EU's stance in the current conflict with Iran,
11:02given the possibility of the European Union of suspending the overwhelming pact with Israel?
11:07So that is a two different thing that, first of all, when it's come to Iran, or generally speaking,
11:14we have a continuous and intensive interaction with all level of officials here in Brussels,
11:22from the president to the high represent, high rep, to the parliament and the commission.
11:30So we are, we have an ongoing interaction.
11:33I think that the reason understanding, of course, it's complicated when it comes to EU to have a one position that composed a 27 member state.
11:43And we hear different tones, but at the end of the road, we see and we feel the support.
