Problemen zat met Iran, zie ook bijvoorbeeld:
Een oplossing is helaas niet zomaar voor handen...
Wouter
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Iran remains a threat to Israel's very existence
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 04/07/2008
Amid the winks and nudges about a reduction of tension between America and Iran, it should not be forgotten that Tehran's policy, enunciated most forcefully by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is the destruction of Israel.
That is already apparent in Iranian support for Hamas and Hizbollah. Possession of nuclear weapons would give it a further edge.
While it is unlikely that Tehran would launch a direct atomic assault on the Jewish state, it would acquire greater leverage over its Arab neighbours as the undisputed hegemon in the Gulf, and could pass on nuclear know-how to its guerrilla proxies.
Until Iran accepts the existence of Israel and suspends uranium enrichment, any responsible government in Jerusalem must consider it an existential threat to the Jewish state.
The diplomatic chatter over the past few days has been about easing the confrontation between America and Iran through negotiation. Tehran has said nothing about stopping the gas centrifuges near Natanz, nor softened its hostility towards Israel.
A diplomatic solution would obviously be preferable to military action, which could convulse the Middle East and push the cost of oil through the roof - but not at any price.
Tehran may be counting on doing a deal with the present American administration before a new, unpredictable man enters the White House in January. Having made progress in nuclear talks with North Korea, George W. Bush may be hoping to do the same with Iran in the final months of his presidency.
However, what is convenient to Tehran and Washington could lead to the isolation of Israel and push it into unilateral military action that could quickly embroil the West in a wholesale conflagration, whether in southern Iraq or the Strait of Hormuz.
As an impetus for solving deep-seated strategic problems, an electoral timetable is suspect.
Looking back at the divisions over Iraq in 2003, it is essential that the six countries negotiating with Iran are united in insisting that Israel's security must not be jeopardised.
A deal over the head of the country most threatened by Iran would be both morally wrong and carry enormous political risks. In its essentials, Tehran remains inimical to Western interests.
That should not be forgotten in handling a regime that has persistently lied over its nuclear programme and, under Mr Ahmadinejad, has stepped up calls for Israel's destruction.
"Telegraph view" is written by our team of leader writers and commentators. This team includes David Hughes, Philip Johnston, Simon Heffer, Janet Daley, Con Coughlin, Robert Colvile, Iain Martin and Alex Singleton.
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