Eizenkot may offer the US a plan for air control of Iran’s nuclear sites
Gadi Eizenkot, leader of the Yashar party and former chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, may, if he comes to power, propose that the United States create an air-control zone around areas containing Iranian uranium enriched to 60%. Under the plan, any movement of nuclear materials in these areas could trigger an airstrike, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Proposals regarding Iran
According to the publication, Eizenkot is considering this option in case the policy of maximum pressure and negotiations fail to produce an agreement capable of permanently eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat. In his view, such an agreement should provide for long-term inspections without time or location restrictions in order to prevent the secret revival of the nuclear program.
The plan would also provide for the long-term involvement of US aircraft near sensitive nuclear areas, similar to US operations over Iraq in the 1990s. The Jerusalem Post writes that Eizenkot also supports expanding covert Mossad operations in Iran, with ballistic missiles, in addition to the nuclear program, among their targets.
Gaza and Syria
Regarding Gaza, Eizenkot accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to secure the replacement of Hamas with another administration. He views the Palestinian Authority negatively; however, according to the publication, he considers Hamas the worse option if the choice is between these two forces. For him, it is a matter of principle that Israel retain a security corridor regardless of who governs the enclave.
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Eizenkot is prepared to link the partial disarmament of Hamas to partial measures for Gaza’s reconstruction. At the same time, he opposes discussing the creation of a Palestinian state in the near and medium term.
In Syria, the politician is in no hurry to withdraw Israeli forces from the buffer zone and considers President Ahmed al-Sharaa a jihadist. He allows for a future agreement with Syria provided that Syrian forces are moved away from the Israeli border, Israel retains the Syrian part of Mount Hermon, and freedom of air operations against strategic threats is preserved.
Lebanon and relations with the West
In Lebanon, Eizenkot is prepared, under certain conditions, to withdraw Israeli forces to an eight-kilometer security zone. In his view, such a distance should make it impossible for Hezbollah to shell Israel with anti-tank missiles. At the same time, according to The Jerusalem Post, he is concerned about the presence of around 2,000 members of the group in southern Lebanon.
Eizenkot also wants to restore France to a significant role in the Lebanese settlement alongside the United States and rebuild relations with France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy. One of his goals as prime minister is to restore Israel’s dialogue with Western partners.
