The next challenge

The NIE report regarding the Iran nuclear situation published at the end of last year caused an international storm. The US president, the Israeli prime minister, European and Asian leaders, intelligence agencies and media centers - all attributed supreme importance to the document and proceeded to analyze its meaning.

This is not surprising in and of itself: the possibility that Iran is developing a nuclear program, the possibility that significant economic and political pressure will be applied on Iran; the possibility that the campaign to stop Iran's nuclear program will fail; the possibility that attacking Iran's nuclear sites will provoke a counter-attack; these are all scenarios that have intensely occupied the minds of decision-makers around the world in the Middle East and for world powers such as the US, China, the UK, France and Germany equally. The NIE report was bound to have an impact, direct or indirect, on the scenarios above - and has therefore generated such resonance.

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The moment of truth is approaching

In November 2006, when I held a ministerial position in Ariel Sharon's government and was responsible, among other things, for strategic dialogue with the US, I stood at the head of the Israeli delegation preparing for a meeting in Washington.

As is customary, prior to our departure to the US, the delegation was called in for a final briefing with Prime Minister Sharon. We presented to him a list of topics that were on our agenda to be discussed in the US.

We described in detail the Israeli positions as consolidated in discussions by our team, composed of senior officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Prime Minister's Office, the Defense Ministry, the IDF and the Mossad.

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