Yossi Olmert, the brother of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, expressed concern yesterday regarding Iran's nuclear capabilities and said Western governments had not taken a strong enough stance on Iran.
He addressed an intimate group of students last night at Steinhardt Hall in an effort to bolster support for Israel in its current confrontation with the Islamic republic.
The Israelis "cannot accept that Iran possesses an actual [nuclear] bomb," Olmert said. "The efforts led by the United States unfortunately do not produce results. For us this is an existentialist threat, to [the rest of the world], it is not."
Olmert said that France, Spain, Russia and China were not acting like friends to Israel. He said that France and Spain turn a "blind eye" to the plight of the Israelis, and Russia and China undermine the "legitimacy" of Israeli existence by supplying opposing forces with weapons for financial gain.
On the contrary, Olmert praised British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his practicality and also commended billionaire Warren Buffett for continuing to support economic growth in Israel by standing by his investments there.
Olmert said that while he regretted that there were many Lebanese casualties in its recent conflict with Israel, he said casualties are a fact of war.
"My heart does not bleed for Lebanon, only Israel," Olmert said. "It's my duty to look out for myself."
He concluded by urging citizens of the United States, particularly those in college, to "keep your eyes open."
"The mistake of the Western World is that we cannot expect people to see as we do," Olmert said. "But we need to look after our own interests. Do not be complacent with the United States and Congress. Be alert and know that the forces against us are laying low. They don't like any of us and they do exist."
Rinat Bialer, Israel coordinator for the Jewish Agency and Hillel of Greater Philadelphia, said during a question and answer session that she believed Israel had acted justly in the recent Lebanese-Iranian conflict, in which she served as a communication officer.
"I want people to know that Israel was very humane during the war," Bialer said. "All decisions were made with regard to human value and made with [forethought]. The Israelis acted extremely responsibly."
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