Meir Ben-Shabbat, until recently head of the National Security Council, urged the Biden administration to set a final and binding timetable for the nuclear talks with Iran, after which the United States will take action to halt Tehran's nuclear program.
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The 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and the Islamic republic, formally the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was problematic to begin with and in 2018, then-US President Donald Trump withdrew from it and imposed crippling sanctions on Iran.
The move left the shaky deal virtually hollow, and while Tehran professed it remained committed to the outline, it breached it repeatedly, sparking the West's concern. Upon taking office in January, US President Joe Biden committed to reaching a new deal with Iran, but the indirect negotiations, held in Vienna, were halted following the Aug. 5 election of Ebrahim Raisi, as Iran's president.
Raisi, an ultraconservative cleric and former judiciary chief, is known for his disdain of the United States and has stated he would not shy away from a confrontation with the West.
Biden, for his part, has stated he plans to "exhaust all diplomatic avenues" vis-à-vis Iran, but stressed that the US has "other options" at its disposal as well.
In a special interview with Israel Hayom, Ben-Shabbat, who until last month was among the individuals shaping Israel's foreign and security policy, says that Israel must make it clear to the United States that "if they want to reach a solution through diplomacy – fine, set a deadline and decide what happens next, in case diplomatic efforts fail. You want a stronger agreement with better longevity? Decide what you do about Iran if it continues to tread water."
The former National Security Council chief stressed that "you can't chase them [Iran] forever. You need to set a timetable. This can't be left in the form of general statements. We need to define stages and schedules and come up with a plan for every scenario.
Ben-Shabbat, who spoke to Israel Hayom prior to Raisi and Biden's respective addresses before the UN General Assembly this week, stressed that Israel's first preference when it comes to dealing with Iran should be working together with the international community to undermine the threat posed by Tehran.
"Disconnecting ourselves from the world on this issue is not the way to go. Israel should try and harness the international community, especially the United States. You can't take action without trying to harness joint action.
"For us, the [Iranian] threat is existential, but the challenge is not just Israel's – the Americans know that for Iran, we are 'little Satan' and America is the 'Great Satan' so they, too, should also have an interest in taking action."
Still, he warned that Israel cannot become dependent on the US on the matter.
"The State of Israel and the Jewish people cannot tolerate an existential threat, nor will they accept an Iranian military nuclear program. As for what we are doing about it – some things are better left behind closed doors. All I can say is that when the political echelon states that 'we will not allow it,' the military and intelligence chiefs understand what that means."
Ben-Shabbat further rejected criticism saying that under his leadership the NSC became overly involved in foreign and security policy and says that he never discussed the possibility of heading the Israel Security Agency with then-PM Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that he marked very significant achievements during his term as the national security adviser.
"There is no question that it is a prominent position," he said about being the director of the Shin Bet security service, "but in my time at the Security Council, I saw things that were equally as exciting and important.
"I saw things I didn't know and didn't understand before about Israel's position in the world. I was moved by the expressions of appreciation and admiration for the State of Israel, which I heard every day from heads of state, presidents, kings, and ministers.
"In some cases – and I'm not exaggerating – they would get misty-eyed. As a citizen of the country, as a patriot and as a public service official, I was amazed at the intensities of these things," he continued. "For me, these were four very intense years, more than any of my positions in the Shin Bet.
"As my predecessor in the position, Jacob Nagel, once said – 'Every year at the helm of the National Security Council is equivalent to four years of life.' In other words, I feel as if 16 years have passed."
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