Senior Labor lawmaker and former IDF brigadier general Ephraim Sneh said Monday that North Korea's test of an atomic weapon reflected the weakness of the international community and "its inability to address pariah states," in a direct reference to the Western world's response to the Iranian nuclear threat.
"Perhaps this case, that of North Korea, will teach them a lesson regarding the Iran issue," Sneh told Israel Radio, referring to the West. "Israeli policy should take advantage of what happened, in order to explain and persuade the international community, saying to it, 'Do something, before it's too late.'"
Nuclear powers Pakistan and India also condemned the test, while Iran, facing sanctions for its own nuclear program, condemned the test, said that the world should be "clean of nuclear weapons."
Tehran said it hoped that the issue could be resolved through negotiations.
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Ya'akov Amidror, former head of the IDF Intelligence Assessment Division, said on Monday that North Korea's nuclear devolvement encouraged Iran and its President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to continue with their pursuit of nuclear power.
"We cannot deal towards them (Iran and North Korea) in the same manner as before," said Amidror.
"Ahmadinejad has chosen to be there. He wants to be under the umbrella of nuclear capability."
Bush will make a statement soon. I wonder how much Iran redirection will be taking place...
