Iran′s threat

Iran, it seems, will deliver a "solution" to the Israeli - Palestinian conflict. Possibly quite soon. But don′t look forward to it. The Iranians are not drawing up an inventive peace accord, cleverly stitched together with mutually agreeable compromises.

Rather, the country has begun to strap to itself an explosive device, just like those fitted to the uneducated children sent regularly to kill Israelis on their sidewalks and Australians on holiday.

But instead of a shadowy, unremarkable character slipping unnoticed into a cafe or disco, his brain squirming with unaccountable, unquenchable hate, this suicide mission will blast from a nuclear launcher in the Iranian desert.

Israeli experts -worldly, modest and moderate professors of political science, history, and Arabism, with intimate knowledge of their country′s and the region′s security forces and intelligence services - are depressingly convinced of the inevitability of this dark scenario.

Iran, they argue, is playing out the malevolent rituals of hate for Israel on a grand scale.

Of course, had other Arab or Palestinian leaders had funds and the intellectual wherewithal to finance such a solution years ago, the world would already be dealing with the deadly fallout - in more ways than one. Iran still does not have the intellectual wherewithal for the bomb. This is being delivered by thoughtful Russians.

And it is not as if Iran has not left some clues lying about. The recently elected President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - and remember, please, that we all considered him an educated moderate until, let′s see, five minutes ago? - said the other day: "Anybody who recognises Israel will burn in the fire of the Tslamic nation.

He went on: "The Islamic world will not let its historical enemy live in its heartland."

Indeed, he went on and on, but I′ll spare you.

Iran′s youth is probably already doomed.

Ahmedinejad′s populist, madcap scheme to give the shares of companies to the millions of poor Iranians who voted for him has seen the best of Iran′s businessmen and billions of their dollars flee elsewhere. Dubai mostly.

With probably no sense of irony, Ahmadinejad′s party is called Developer of Islamic Iran. But he will soon bankrupt the nation and steal its kids′ futures.

There will be even fewer jobs for young Iranians, of whom there is a disproportionate number, as in much of the Middle East.

Which sounds as if there will be battalions of blackhearted haters keen for a taste of the afterlife, via one-way bombing missions against the Great Satan (America), Little Satan (Israel) and any number of Satans-in-Waiting (Australians on holiday and at home).

Back in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem these events have those who should know worried in an odd way.

There is what appears to be a quiet acceptance of Iran′s ambitions. Of course, Israel will respond, using the weapons nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu alerted us to almost two decades ago.

But any scenario is bleak.

A pre-emptive strike would be difficult against facilities Iran has buried deep beneath its sand. One hopes the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is in Iran to assess the country′s nuclear program, might ask why nuclear "power stations" need be so expensively hidden.

While Israel educates its children and somehow gets green from the granity slopes of a tiny country, its neighbours seem not to notice.

Having long ago defined themselves by their hatred for Israel, they are blind even to the ways in which they perpetuate poverty, physical and spiritual, for their children.

During a depressing two hours in Tel Aviv the other day, I sat almost mesmerised listening to Itamar Marcus, whose organisation, Palestinian Media Watch, does what our ABC model chooses not to, that is accurately and fairly observe and analyse the local media.

He showed children′s television programs broadcast by the Palestinian Authority in which beautifully innocent pre-teenage kids glorified the activities of suicide bombers.

Colourful plastic Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck characters adorned the walls in the TV studio.

It would have had poor Walt Disney spinning in his cryogenic chamber.

Mr Marcus gave us translated transcripts of newspaper reports about sanctioned soccer matches, with teams named after "brave" young suicide bombers. One "martyr" was a young girl.

Other journalists and I took this up next day at Ramallah with the Palestinian Authority′s Deputy Prime Minister Dr Nabil Shaath, who will receive about $16 million of Australian taxpayers′ money next year.

"That no longer happens," he said, quite forcefully, explaining that such things had happened in the past, particularly with independent broadcasters, whose constant theme was to characterise Jews as ruthless and sadistic killers.

Dr Nabil indicated that it might not have happened for a year or so.

He′s wrong.

He added that he could not always control the many private broadcasters.

He′s right.

But Dr Nabil is also the Authority′s Information Minister. It′s his job.

He is an engaging, lyrical English speaker, entertaining, too, but he cannot have it both ways.

The day before I toured parts of Israel′s controversial, but life-saving, defensive wall.

At an East Jerusalem suburb, I saw how eastfacing apartment windows had needed to have bullet-proof glass installed.

Mannerless young Palestinians had been trying to shoot the settlers through their windows in what sometimes substitutes locally for a familiar handshake.

Those hilltop settlements kept those same gunmen from having direct line of fire at sites such as the Mount of Olives and the Knesset.

Of course, Iran won′t need a direct line of fire

I surveyed Jerusalem with the internationally acclaimed Professor Efraim Inbar from a recently built lookout point.

He pointed out the Knesset and buildings of interest, strategic and emotional. He explained that some philanthropic Australians had donated the money to build the lookout, which was dedicated to a young Israeli Defence Forces member.

David, a wonderful and restlessly enerc man in his mid 50s, our driver and guide stepped forward.

"It is in honour of a very brave soldier. My son."

On January 30, 1997, David′s 20-year-old son stepped on a tripwire setting off a 50kg bomb and was killed, along with two comrades.

I later told David how saddened I was to hear of the loss of his son. "David, if that′s the price you have to pay for the security of Israel," I said, "I′d live somewhere else."

Four days later he drove me from Jerusalem to Ben- Gurion Arport.

As we left the city he pointed to a hill on the left. I had already seen the sign "Military Cemetery". Israel′s army dead rest there. It′s big.

"You see that hill?", said David. "My father, my brother and my son are buried there (an uncle was killed on service elsewhere in the country).

"I′m not going anywhere."

Alan Howe is executive editor of the Herald Sun. He has just completed 12 years as editor of the Sunday Herald Sun. He travelled to Israel with an Australia Israel delegation