Reservist Maj. Gen. Tamir Heiman, who until recently served as head of the IDF's Intelligence Division, expresses a position contrary to that of the establishment and claims that a return to a nuclear agreement with Iran is good for Israel at this time.
In the first interview since taking off his uniform, Heiman emphasizes that he formulates his position on the issue of the nuclear agreement according to the facts and figures - which change over time.
"At any point in time, things should be examined according to the data before us. And what does Iran have at the moment? According to Defense Minister Bnei Gantz, Iran already has more than 50 kilograms of enriched uranium at 60 percent.
This is when one bomb requires 42 kg. They have passed the amount of fissile material sufficient to form a first bomb. That is, the situation that was supposed to be at the end of the nuclear agreement period is worse than it is now, because it has accumulated so much enriched material , That the agreement did not allow her to do.
"Therefore, my conclusion is that in the reality that there is now - an agreement is a very true thing," says Heiman, who served as head of the Armed Forces until seven months ago.
According to him, an agreement will buy Israel time to organize.
"It will deduct and reset the amount of enriched material that Iran has, roll it back and buy you a lot of time, because enrichment takes a long time. During this time many other things can be done: threaten, improve military capabilities, build international coalitions or create an agreement agreement for the period After the current agreement. "
Iranian nuclear center in Isfahan, Photo: IP
Heiman's position on the issue of the nuclear agreement is contrary to the accepted line of the political and security establishment.
Both the political echelon - Prime Minister Bennett, Foreign Minister Lapid and Defense Minister Ganz - as well as the professional echelon, express opposition to the US return to the original nuclear agreement, which was abandoned by Trump in 2018.
Last week, Heiman was appointed director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), near Tel Aviv University, a position he will serve alongside Prof. Manuel Trachtenberg, who leads the institute's socio-economic research.
He talks about the meetings in which he presented to Russian President Putin the need for Israeli activity against Iranian targets in Syria, and about his excitement at the ceremony of returning the remains of the late Zechariah Baumel.
Syria - a tactical consideration
In answer to the "Israel Today" question, Heiman completely rejects the claim that the discovery of Baumel's bones was a gift from Putin to Netanyahu due to the elections held at the time.
"It's just not true. It was a long operation that came to a decision. There have been several attempts before. The timing was unrelated to the election."
In the Russian context as well, Heiman believes that Israel should speak out very strongly against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
He said, "Israel can produce a much clearer voice in this area. The State of Israel is strongly opposed to any external intervention of foreign power, border conflicts and national issues of self-determination. And without an internal solution - we oppose it. "
How will such a critical Israeli stance affect the freedom of action of the Air Force in Syria?
Heiman: "This is something that the IDF will know how to deal with.
These are tactical considerations.
They should not influence the expression of such an important position at the level of national security and the field of values. "
The full interview on Friday in" Israel Hashavua ".
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