Israeli defense officials and political pundits rounded on Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz yesterday after he threatened an attack on Iran, accusing him of exploiting regional war jitters to advance personal ambitions.
Mofaz, a former military chief who is now a top challenger to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in their Kadima Party, told a newspaper last week that Israeli strikes on Iran looked “unavoidable” given progress in its nuclear plans.
The remarks helped drive up oil prices to a record US$139 a barrel on Friday and drew a circumspect response from Washington, which favors UN sanctions against Iran.
While the White House said that Mofaz was giving voice to the Jewish state’s fear of the Islamic republic, officials in Israel’s Defense Ministry pointed to a power-struggle roiling the party.
“Turning one of the most strategic security issues into a political game, using it for the internal purposes of a would-be campaign in Kadima, is something that must not be done,” Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai told Israel Radio.
Iran has filed a protest against Israel with the UN over its threats to attack Iran if the Islamic state continued its nuclear weapons program, official news agency IRNA reported early yesterday.
In a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council, the Iranian UN mission demanded a firm reaction against Mofaz’s statements.
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