Today: September 9, 2010

 

Will Israel act on its own?

Posted: Wed 16th September 2009 6.42 PM  | Author: David Soakell

The BBQ British summer that never was appears to have vanished with a whimper, and this week we have witnessed a certain chill in the air already. Yom Kippur is around the corner, and before we know it 'Auld Lang Syne' will be sung as 2009 comes to an end.

Yes, I'm aware this is still only September... but it only seems weeks ago that I was reporting on the war in Gaza in January. With this in mind, the IDF Military Intelligence is in the final stages of completing its strategic assessment for next year and again, as in recent years, the Iranian nuclear threat features prominently on its list of threats. Wars, and the threat of wars may never be far away of course, but let us remember that the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the Almighty God, and He alone is in complete control.

But what of 2010? The coming year could be crucial for Israel and the IDF. According to recent reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has already obtained sufficient quantities of low-enriched uranium to create enough high-enriched uranium for one nuclear bomb. Predictions are that if Iran continues to enrich uranium at its current pace it will have enough low-enriched uranium for 2 to 3 bombs sometime next year. For this to happen Iran would have to raise its enrichment levels, a move that would be detected by the IAEA, which has cameras inside the Natanz enrichment facility. If and when this happens, the clock will start ticking and the world will have only a few months to stop it.  

As such, it is reasonable to assume that Israeli preparations are under way on both the military and diplomatic fronts. The sense in Israel is that sanctions could have an effect on Iran and get the Islamic regime to rethink its nuclear advancements. At the same time, the feeling is that while France and Germany appear to be more open today to tougher sanctions, without Russia or China the possibility of these sanctions being imposed remain slim. So what will 2010 bring?

The feeling in Israel is that the US today understands the severity of the nuclear threat posed by Iran and as a result is serious about holding a tough and exhausting dialogue with Teheran, aimed at stopping the country from obtaining nuclear weapons. Should the world fail to act decisively to curtail Iran's nuclear program in the near term, or if it appears likely that Iran is about to obtain game-changing military technology - such as Russia's S-300 anti-aircraft system - Israel, more likely than not, will act on its own. Intercessors are certainly needed. Please do pray into this.

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