'Aid to Syrian rebels only if they don't hurt Druze'
Israeli defense chief protection of Syria's Druze minority is condition of aid; says no talks with Hamas
Israel conditions its assistance to the Syrian rebels on its border on their commitment not to hurt the Druze minority in Syria, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said Monday. Briefing diplomatic correspondents, Yaalon said Israel has been trying to be particularly sensitive to the Druze population in Syria, given the strong bond with their kinsmen in Israel, especially to 10,000-12,000 Druze residents of Hader, a village on the Syrian side of the Golan heights.
"It's no secret that the villages on the Golan border are receiving our humanitarian aid," said Yaalon, whose comments are nonetheless unusual given the generally secretive nature of Israel's contacts with the Syrian side. Israel is conditioning the assistance on two points, he said: "Keeping terrorists group away from the border, and not hurting or attacking the Druze." However, he stressed that the Druze do not want to be seen as getting aid from Israel, so recent statements from Israeli Druze groups "are not helpful".
The Druze minority in Israel has has expressed concern about the plight of the Druze in Syria, with some advocating Israeli action to help them. Yaalon ruled out such interference.
'I don't buy US narrative'
Yaalon also addressed the upcoming Iran nuclear talks deadline, saying Israel assumes that despite discussion of a possible extension, "we do not see talks blowing up. At some point they will reach an agreement." According to Yaalon, "It is clear that this deal is bad, after it will be signed we will have an Iranian nuclear threshold state. The deal doesn't freeze the nuclear program, only suspends it. No facility and no centrifuge will be dismantled."
Yaalon slammed the US position in negotiations, "We believe that continued economic pressure would have brought Iran to a dilemma - to choose between a bomb or survival. The way negotiations were handled enabled the Iranians to dodge the dilemma.
"Today - the West states clearly that there is no military threat, Iran is not isolated, and the economic pressure is weakening. In these conditions there is no Iranian concern about an internal uprising. If the Iranians feel secure to rebuild themselves economically before the end of the 10 years who can guarantee that they will not run forward and breakout with a bomb"?
"The US has a narrative on Iran which I don't buy", Yaalon said, and explained that the core of the disagreement between Jerusalem and Washington "is whether Iran is the problem - or the solution."
Hamas wants to annoy Abbas
Addressing constant reports about negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a long-term truce, Yaalon clarified that "Israel doesn't have any direct negotiations with Hamas. We are handling contacts with the entity that Hamas rules. We are enabling foreign entities to assist, such as Qatar, and enabling reconstruction of Gaza. But the idea of a long-term truce is not being discussed." The explanation for the recurring reports about secret Israel-Hamas channels, according to Yaalon, is that Hamas wants to annoy Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and give him a feeling that a conspiracy is going on behind his back.
Yaalon, a hardliner on prospects of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, repeated that he does not see "an agreement in our generation. Not because we don't want one, but because the man who is supposed to be the moderate voice slammed the door twice. Abbas is dodging negotiations and won't accept the fact that at the end game he will have recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people."
He slammed proposals to reach a solution under a deadline and to impose an Israeli freeze on settlement construction. "The settlements are a topic for final status negotiations, I object to a settlement freeze in principle." He added that the current situation in the West Bank is of a de facto interim agreement. "We do not want to control them - the policy is not status quo but rather promoting welfare in the West Bank and Gaza."
Tal Shalev is the i24news diplomatic correspondent.