Speaking at the Herzliya Conference on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom told delegates that in the Middle East the "Iran is trying to revive the Persian empire!".
Speaking during a panel discussion on Israel''s relationship with the West, Shalom may have surprised some when he then said that "unlike most Israelis I believe that sanctions can work on Iran" and he called for heavier sanctions on top of those recently imposed on the rogue state by the UN.
The Canadian Foreign Minister, agreed and stated that it was in all countries interests to halt the Iranian nuclear programme, including Russia and China. He said this after affirming the strength of Canada''s friendship with Israel saying "Israel needs stronger, more passionate friends."
The veteran Likud politician stated that he feels the West depends too heavily on the democratic process in the Middle East when it seems that time and again these elections have brought to power Islamic extremists.
Citing both Hamas and the overwhelming majority won by Islamist parties in the recent Egyptian elections Shalom pointed out that the Islamist Winter was a great victory for the enemies of freedom and the West.
He pushed the point further, saying that "we are the only ally you have in the Middle East and if you don''t want the Iranians to control the Middle East then you should do what needs to be done." The Deputy Prime Minister was sitting on a panel alongside the Canadian Foreign Minister, John Russell Baird and the Czech Foreign Minister, Karel Schwarzenberg.