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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with ministers of the EU here in Jerusalem. He applauded their recent decision to impose another round of what's considered the toughest sanctions against Iran. But he continues to voice his doubts about whether sanctions are doing enough. He said they've have hit the Iranian economy hard, but still have not rolled back the nuclear program. Netanyahu said, only when the centrifuges stop spinning, will we know if the sanctions have achieved their goal.
Still Netanyahu's "wait and see" position on the sanctions is a shift -- even if a small one. He has stopped implying the sanctions are not working and stopped threatening, between the lines, to take military action.
What changed Netanyahu's tone? Perhaps US pressure or strong Israeli opposition to a strike on Iran. Or maybe it was watching Iranians riot in the streets recently over the devaluation of their currency. Whatever the reason, there's acknowledgment in Jerusalem now that perhaps a window has opened.
Israeli FM Spokesman Yigal Palmor:
"We now see that the sanctions are affecting the Iranian economy, affecting it very deeply. There is a change of language in Tehran. That's far from being enough but there are changes. So yes we think to see where these changes will take us."
The new EU sanctions are the most severe ones passed by the 27 member group. The measures ban financial transactions with Iranian banks unless the transfers deal with humanitarian goods and are approved in advance. They also include tighter restrictions on business with Iran's central bank and a ban on sending graphite and metals that Iran could use for its weapons program.
And there are new bans on Iran's energy industry, its most lucrative export.
Israeli FM Spokesman Yigal Palmor:
"What stands out here is the prohibition of all Iranian energy export, oil and gas. This is very important, it's symbolic, and it strikes Iran right where it hurts and that's where it sends a really strong message."
The message from the West is simple: Iran should think twice about the skyhigh price of a covert nuclear weapons program -- it may very well ruin Iran's economy and sow social unrest.
But Iran remains deaf to the message and defiant. Calling the new sanctions "illegal and inhuman," Iranian leaders vowed to continue developing what it claims is a peaceful nuclear energy program.
They said the new EU sanctions would not succeed in forcing Tehran into nuclear talks.
But many in Israel expect Iran will not tow this hard line. It was sanctions that first brought Iran to the negotiating table and it's likely to do so again.
Israeli FM Spokesman Yigal Palmor:
"This process should encourage all of us to pursuit in the sanctions way because that's the only thing that makes Iranian regime contemplate and accept, not just talk, but also concessions. And until these concessions are really significant, I don't think sanctions should be out."
Completely stopping the enrichment of uranium is the concession Israel is after -- though some officials have indicated low-level 3% enrichment may be acceptable.
While Iran contemplates its next move, Israel is keeping all options on the table.
Israeli FM Spokesman Yigal Palmor:
"We always said that we favor sanctions, we favor diplomacy but we think that the military option should never be ruled out because if you want to make the sanctions and the diplomatic talks credible, the Iranians need to understand that you are going to use the military option if push comes to shove."
While talk of a strike on Iran has quieted down significantly in the last few weeks, the nuclear showdown with Tehran will still feature prominently on the political map here. Israelis on Jan 22nd will vote for a new Prime Minister and Netanyahu and his challengers will be vying for votes and staking out their positions on how to defend best against the looming nuclear threat.
Jordana Miller, JN1, Jerusalem
