Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on Saturday that Amos Gilad, director of police and political-military affairs at the Israeli Defense Ministry, said Israel could not do without peace with Egypt. “Peace with the Arabs is a major achievement in the view of the military, but it is a cold peace," he said. “Peace with Egypt is something we can't do without,” he said, “but the Arab Spring may pose a threat to Israel's security, as there are serious developments with respect to regime change and leadership in the Arab world. " Gilad also warned of the growing Iranian threat. "Iran is determined to acquire nuclear weapons and is a clear threat to Israel,” he said, adding that should Iran obtain nuclear weapons “it would mark a major turning point." "I believe that the important thing now is to take the Iranian threat seriously and place it first on our list of priorities,” Gilad added. He said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees Iran's nuclear program as a major threat, as does Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Gilad stressed that, in spite of this, Israeli security is very good because Iraq, which was the biggest threat to Israel at one point, has been neutralized. Regarding the Second Lebanon War and Operation "Cast Lead" in the Gaza Strip, Gilad said, "We managed to form a strong deterrent force against Lebanon and Gaza. As for Hamas, it is trying to stop firing rockets at us because they know the real power of Israel; it is also trying hard to control the West Bank and to expel Abu Mazen. " At the end of his speech, Gilad praised the security relationship and aid provided to Israel by the United States, describing it as the spine of Israel and its security.
