Should Israelis Debate War With Iran?

With Public Split, Securocrats Say Silence Would Be Better

By Nathan Jeffay

Published November 11, 2011, issue of November 18, 2011.

(Page 2 of 2)

Tel Aviv — While opposition leader Tzipi Livni has issued repeated pleas for the international community to take harsher steps against Iran, she is keeping quiet on the subject of what Israel’s plan should be. “Leaders need to make decisions, ones that are not necessarily popular with the public,” Gil Messing, her aide, told the Forward. Labor Party Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich described an attack as “very dangerous” and a “megalomaniacal adventure” that her party will not support, but on the subject of the public debate specifically, her spokeswoman had no comment.

Even Iranian-born academic Soli Shahvar, who has spoken out against a strike on almost every Israeli television and radio station, is sympathetic to the government’s position, saying that it stems from an understandable fear that someone will reveal sensitive information in the course of discussions. Shahvar, director of Haifa University’s Ezri Center for Iran & Persian Gulf Studies, commented, “I think those who said the discussion should be limited are apprehensive of someone crossing a line and saying something he shouldn’t have said.”

Contact Nathan Jeffay at jeffay@forward.com

Top Stories

Heartfelt Return

A Rabbi's Plea

Finding Forrester

The Forward welcomes reader comments in order to promote thoughtful discussion on issues of importance to the Jewish community. In the interest of maintaining a civil forum, the Forward requires that all commenters be appropriately respectful toward our writers, other commenters and the subjects of the articles. Vigorous debate and reasoned critique are welcome; name-calling and personal invective are not. While we generally do not seek to edit or actively moderate comments, the Forward reserves the right to remove comments for any reason.

Would you like to receive updates about new stories?

Forward.com