The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee discussed a variety of topics in a special meeting Thursday, among them the Iranian nuclear threat, Israel's ties to the European Union, and efforts to brand the Jewish state in a new PR campaign.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman linked Iran's nuclear program to a recent nuclear test performed by North Korea. Responses from within Iran show that the world's reaction to North Korea is likely to encourage the Iranian leadership to pursue its nuclear ambitions, he said.
"The response we see is very clear, 'The international community cannot deal with the most isolated and the poorest in the world like North Korea, there is no chance they will stop us,'” Lieberman explained. Israel must worry not only about Iran, but about the possibility of a regional nuclear arms race as Iran's nuclear program motivates Sunni Muslim states to develop their own weapons, he warned.
Regarding Israel's image abroad, Lieberman called on various political factions to agree to a basic unified message. The Palestinian Authority's strength lies in its ability to repeat the same demands regardless of internal political differences, he said.
MK Miri Regev expressed concern over Israel's new branding program, begun by former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. The program's creators say they want to brand Israel as the home of the Jewish nation, she said, but have failed to relate to Israel as a Jewish state, preferring to focus on more universal concepts such as “energy” and “creativity.”
The MKs also discussed Israel's ties to the European Union in light of the recent EU elections, in which several right-wing and nationalist parties gained strength. MK Aryeh Eldad called for Israel to take advantage of growing European awareness of the threat posed by radical Islam.
Eldad also suggested that Israel fight foreign lawsuits by filing its own suits, to reveal the international community's hypocrisy.