Dore Gold: Dealing with the Iranian Threat

CBN.com – Dore Gold is president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, a Jerusalem-based think-tank. He was Israel's ambassador to the United Nations from 1997-1999. He has served as an advisor to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Gold is an expert on Middle East issues. His most recent books are "Hatred's Kingdom--How Saudi Arabia Supports the New Global Terrorism," and "Tower of Babble--How the United Nations Has Fueled Global Chaos."

Recently, Gold spoke with Pat Robertson and explained what Israel and the world must do to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and to prevent that nation from acting on its threat to "wipe Israel off the map."

PAT ROBERTSON: Joining us from Jerusalem is Dore Gold. Ambassador, it is a pleasure to welcome you back to the "700 Club."

DORI GOLD: Thanks for having me, Pat.

ROBERTSON: It seems like, strangely enough, that the European nations are beginning to protest in favor of Israel and against Iran. Is this really happening?

GOLD: This is really happening, but I think it is also happening for very solid reasons. Everyone has been talking about this speech by the Iranian president to wipe Israel off of the map. But if you read the speech carefully, he's not just talking about Israel. He's speaking about a historical war between the Islamic world and what he calls ‘the world of arrogance,’ which means the West. The attack on Israel is only a small part of a much bigger conflict. He even envisions a world without America. And therefore, I think, countries in Europe and the United States as well, are also watching the developments in Iran with a great deal more caution and concern than in the past.

ROBERTSON: A little paperhanger in Europe wrote a book about his desires and what he would do to set up a Third Reich to conquer the world. We pretty much ignored him, but what he said came to pass. Do you think that Washington and the other governments are really ignoring this man over in Iran?

GOLD: I think that it is an important development that they have been pressing Iran on Iran’s clandestine nuclear program. But if all they wanted to do was wipe Israel off of the map, they would build missiles, 1300-KM range, that could allow them to move a nuclear device from Iran to Tel Aviv. But clearly, the Iranian missile program is seeking to develop missile with a 2,000 kilometer range, a 5,000 kilometer range, and we have evidence that they are seeking an intercontinental ballistic missile that could strike the Eastern seaboard of the United States. Therefore, Iranian ambitions go far beyond Israel. For that reason alone, the Europeans and the United States are more concerned than they were before.

ROBERTSON: They keep talking about diplomacy, but I just heard that more fissionable material was being delivered to Iran that was capable of building bombs. When will diplomacy stop and action begin?

GOLD: Obviously, diplomacy is getting nowhere. Iranians are interested in having long talks with the Europeans over a year or two years, whatever it takes for them to complete the initial stage of the nuclear program. That could be just a matter of only two or three years away.

ROBERTSON: This particular man that is now president is one of those who captured our diplomats in that famous Rose Garden stand-off during the Carter administration. Do you think he would really push the button and launch a nuclear attack against Israel?

GOLD: The problem with people like the president of Iran is that they are going to get involved in all kinds of brinksmanship with Israel and other countries. They will push the limit in order to solidify their regime. We have an Israeli former minister, Natan Sharansky, who wrote a book that President Bush has read. He said that countries with dictatorial regimes need almost perpetual belligerency in order to stay in power. The Iranian regime is not popular. There are many Iranian young people born in Iran who love America, who love democracy, who would like to see that in Iran as well. And one way he keeps them down is to generate perpetual conflict - talk about the threat of America, the threat of Israel, how he is going to extend the war there. It is important that this guy understand that he is playing with fire and that this could lead to a disaster both for him and Iran itself.

ROBERTSON: He doesn't just talk, though, and threaten, he has launched Islamic Jihad people against Israel, suicide bombers. He funds the Hezbollah that brings attacks against Israel. He uses fighting as well as words.

GOLD: And there is also evidence that while Iran is a Shiite Muslim country and [their] neighbors have been under mostly Sunni Islamic influence, [their president] has been hosting al-Qaeda operatives who are Sunni radicals of a Wahhabi persuasion. He will make links to anybody to pursue his war against the West and his war against Israel.

ROBERTSON: What about a preemptive strike? Israel struck the nuclear reactor of Saddam Hussein, and perhaps spared us from facing a nuclear-armed Saddam. What about this one?

GOLD: I do not want to make any predictions, but Iran studied the Israeli strike on the reactor in 1981. As a result, they have hardened their facilities and their facilities are underground. They have redundancy and many different facilities. You can knock out one and another is there. They are protected. I am not sure what militarily may be done in the future. I would not care to speculate. Our Israeli foreign minister called for a diplomatic struggle to be waged against Iran in this same time. But I imagine that the entire Western alliance will have to consult with the implications of a nuclear Iran, with intentions to go to war against the West.

ROBERTSON: Dore Gold, thank you for your insights. It’s always a pleasure to have you on the program.

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