Diplomat: Israel not likely to take action against Iran

David Kihara

Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2005 | 9:03 a.m.

A top ranking Israeli diplomat in the United States said on Tuesday that it is unlikely Israel will pursue military action against Iran and that diplomatic pressure is the best course to halt Iran's alleged nuclear weapons ambitions.

Zvi Vapni, the deputy Consul General in the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, also said he was hopeful that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas could crack down on hard-line Palestinian militants in the wake of his recent election.

"I think the perception today is that the best thing Israel (can do) is apply pressure -- diplomatic pressure -- or other kinds of pressure available other than a military solution," he said.

Vapni, who was in Las Vegas for a one-day visit to meet with members of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas, was responding to previous statements from Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday.

Speaking on the MSNBC show "Imus in the Morning," Cheney said Israel may "decide to act first" militarily to stop Iran from gaining the ability to build a nuclear weapons program, accordinbg to various newspapers.

"Some people were surprised by Cheney's comments on Israel," Vapni said. "It's a rumor going around and around about Israel going to do something. I think it's oversimplifying the issue."

Vapni, however, did not downplay the danger Israel could face if Iran had a functional nuclear weapon. Because of the close proximity of Israel to Iran and historic tensions between the two countries, he said, Israel is "extremely concerned" that Iran will acquire a nuclear missile that it could use against Israel since the predominantly Muslim country views a conflict against Israel as a "holy war."

Israel has dealt with "Iranian influences all around" for years, particularly the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement based in Lebanon that, according to Vapni, has been involved in terrorist actions against Israel.

If Iran did have a nuclear weapon, it would be like "sitting in Las Vegas and you know that someone in San Francisco is contemplating shooting a missile at you."

Iran has maintained that it is creating a nuclear program for energy purposes, not for weapons.

President Bush included Iran in the "axis of evil," which after Sept. 11, 2001, included Iraq and North Korea. Recently top U.S. officials and Israeli officials have warned that Iran is creating a nuclear weapons program.

Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres on Tuesday stated that Iran is the major source of conflict in the Middle East and called on the global community to intervene.

"The Iranian issue is a global issue. Let the world conduct this war," Peres is quoted saying by various news agencies.

Despite the threat, a danger Vapni characterized as "a huge source of concern," he said Israel would be working with the diplomatic community to pressure Iran to halt any nuclear weapons program.

Vapni expressed hope, however, that the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine will be coming to an end -- a hope he pins on the newly elected Palestinian leader Abbas.

Abbas has already taken steps to secure a peaceful resolution to the four-year conflict in the region, such as reigning in militant Palestinian groups and cracking down on terrorists, Vapni said.

"This is the first time in four years when there is a certain hope in the region," he said. "Before, there was no hope. For four years, there were suicide bombers, thousands of Israelis killed and many Palestinians."

On Monday militant groups agreed to a temporary cease-fire while a formal truce is negotiated between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, according to the Associated Press.

Vapni served in military intelligence in the Israeli Defense Forces from 1982 to 1985. He served for three years as the deputy chief of mission for the Israeli embassy in Bulgaria and two years as the deputy consul general for the Israeli consulate in Atlanta.

He has served as the deputy consul general for the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles for four years.