Israel is doing the world's dirty work in stopping Iran
Image by: Karen Hovsepyan / Alamy Stock Photo
4 min read
Israeli action to prevent the Iranian regime from developing nuclear weapons is justified, Europeans have made an incorrect assumption that diplomacy could prevail
Standing amidst the ruins of Kfar Aza kibbutz, the scars of October 7, 2023, remain etched in every bullet-pocked wall and charred remnant of what was once a thriving community.
There are few memorials and death sites I have not visited in more than forty years of work on Antisemitism and post-Holocaust issues. Still, there was something especially chilling about my recent visit to Kfar Aza, close to the Gaza border.
The sheer brutality of the acts of physical and sexual violence that took place there is difficult to comprehend. This kibbutz, known for its community of peace activists, was among the hardest hit. 62 residents were killed, and 19 were taken hostage and taken to Gaza.
Just a few miles away lies the site of the Nova music festival, where a celebration of life became a bloody massacre, with hundreds of beautiful young lives cut short in a hail of bullets.
These sites are not just memorials to tragedy; they are stark reminders of the existential threat Israel has always faced, and of the dark and unrelenting force of Antisemitism that courses through world history.
While most of the world reeled in horror at the reports and footage being shared in real-time of the October 7 attacks, the Islamic Republic of Iran declared its support for the “resistance” and congratulated the Palestinian people.
The Shia theocracy in Tehran may have quite different ideological roots from the Muslim Brotherhood offshoot Hamas, but they both follow the same lodestar: the destruction of the Jewish state
There is a direct connection between the highly accomplished scientists and engineers working on Iran’s uranium enrichment programme, and the rapists in green bandanas who screamed “Allahu Akbar!” as they carried out the largest slaughter of Jews since the Nazi holocaust.
The attacks were part of a broad strategy orchestrated by Iran. Western and Middle Eastern intelligence officials have documented how Iran provided Hamas with military training, logistical support, and financial backing alongside its other proxy forces, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
The horror of Kfar Aza and Iran’s nuclear ambitions are two sides of the same coin and demonstrate that the threats made against Israel are not rhetorical.
As one Israeli minister told me recently, “When someone says they want to kill you while holding a knife to your throat, our history teaches us it’s best to take them seriously.”
There is a consistent flaw in Western policy towards the Iranian regime, in not taking the rhetoric seriously. Guided by a dangerous optimism, European foreign ministries have seen the Iranian government as essentially rational but imprisoned by its own revolutionary bombast.
So, the thinking went, Iran would emerge as a responsible regional actor with just a bit more diplomatic effort and more substantial economic incentives. That was the assumption behind reopening the British Embassy in Tehran and the generous JCPOA nuclear deal in 2015.
The recent revelations about the extent of Iran’s breaches of its nuclear obligations and the extent of its enrichment have shown just how flawed this assumption was.
Israel cannot afford the luxury of complacency. Its resolve to defend itself stems from a deep understanding of history and a clear-sighted view of the threats it faces. Last week's actions demonstrate a fight for its very existence.
A nuclear-armed Iran would destabilise the whole Middle East region and threaten global security. Israel’s strikes against Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile sites are a necessary step to prevent a catastrophic outcome.
Not for the first time, Israel is doing the world’s dirty work.
The international community must stand now with Israel, acknowledging that the threat posed by Iran extends beyond its borders. The lessons of October 7 and the ongoing conflict are a tragic testament to the cost of underestimating this threat.
The world must move beyond outdated assumptions about Iran’s intentions and act decisively to support Israel in this critical moment.
Lord Pickles was Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the United Kingdom Special Envoy for post-Holocaust Issues. He is the Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords for Conservative Friends of Israel.
