"They're trying to tell us that the danger is less than it really is," warns former IDF National Defense College commander Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror about Mordechai Vanunu. Amidror currently promotes high-tech projects.
At a seminar on growth for senior Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor held in Jerusalem today, Amidror said, "Terrorism is driven by a deep and justified frustration."
He said other factors included the huge economic gaps within Arab society and the Arab world's loss of power. "UN studies prove that Arab society is the most backward, except for some African countries. Nor do they have any economic influence, except on the price of oil."
Amidror added that in addition to the territorial and national conflict, Israel was part of the conflict between the Muslim world and the democratic West. "Even if we solve the territorial problem without a warm peace, we'll have to defend ourselves with a very sharp sword for years to come, and the Muslim world's conflict with the West will not end. If Israel were to resolve all its problems or vanish from the map tomorrow, Bin Laden would not call off bombs in Spain or elsewhere."
Amidror said that those who claim that a document can resolve the conflict with the Palestinians and Arab states were naïve or "selling gimmicks. Don’t believe anyone who proposes a simple solution. Any solution will be very complex, and it won't just be between us and the Palestinians."
Amidror said Israel should not deceive or delude itself. It is necessary to reach interim agreements that will merely "lower the flame and enable us to live better, while knowing just how far the agreements can go."
Amidror believes that the chances of Arab states building a united front against Israel are much smaller now than in the past. Israel's circumstances are therefore better from this perspective, so long as Israel has an army strong enough to constitute a deterrent. He said the military threat against Israel had diminished as the interests of the Arab world splintered.
Nevertheless, two major threats remain. One is ballistic missiles, especially from Iran, and thought and money should be invested to find better solutions than the Arrow anti-ballistic missile system.
The second threat is terrorism, although the number of number of attacks has declined, partly because of the separation fence.
Amridror emphasized in his conclusion, "We're facing many more years of terrorism."
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on April 22, 2004