Israel Matzav: Barak doesn't believe Iran would nuke Israel

Barak doesn't believe Iran would nuke Israel

In a Friday speech to the Washington Institute of Near East Policy, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that he does not believe that Iran will drop a nuclear weapon on Israel.

Barak also said he doubts Iran would launch a nuclear attack against Israel, but warned that a nuclear-armed "I don't think the Iranians, even if they got the bomb, are going to drop it in the neighborhood," Barak said.

"They fully understand what might follow. They are radical but not total 'meshugah,'" said Barak, using the Yiddish word for crazy. "They have a quite sophisticated decision-making process and they understand realities."

Barak said Israel appreciates the U.S. push for "effective" sanctions against Iran, within a limited time frame, but said the international community must prepare for "the possibility that in spite of all effort, it will not lead to Iran accepting the international norms." Iran could destabilize the Middle East, disrupt oil supplies and strengthen Hezbollah and Hamas, which Iran sponsors financially and militarily.

I would not want to stake my survival on Ehud Barak's assessment that the apocalyptic Iranian regime is not 'meshugah' and understands what would happen if God forbid they dropped a nuclear bomb on Israel.

Moreover, we already know that 23% of Israelis will consider not bothering to hang around to see whether Iran will use their nuclear weapon if Iran God forbid gets one. For Israel, Iran with nuclear weapons is simply not an option. And Barak knows it.

Israel Matzav: Barak doesn't believe Iran would nuke Israel