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Italian Minister: Consider Israel for NATO

Updated: 16/Feb/2006 18:08

Italy's Defence minister Antonio Martino

Photo: Forza Italia

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Italy's Defence minister Antonio Martino has said that NATO should consider Israel for membership of the international organisation. The statement was made during an interview with an Italian radio station last week.

Martino was speaking about the possibility of a strike by Iran on Israel and Israel's response. "In the light of the serious and worrying Iranian position the time has come to think of admitting Israel into NATO, so that an eventual attack against Israel would be regarded as an attack against the whole of NATO," Martino told the Radio 24 station.

Not official position

The minister hastened to add that this was his opinion and not the official position of the Italian government. Martino said in making these comments he did not wish to "invade the competencies of any other minister" and was speaking "in a personal capacity".

Martino also added that Israel's membership might help form a more coherent and united policy on Middle East issues. The Defence Minister decried what he saw as "the incapacity of the European Union to adopt a united and cohesive foreign policy."

Martino's comments come a few weeks after former Spanish foreign minister Ana Palacio also called on Israel's inclusion into NATO. Speaking at the sixth annual Herzliya Conference, Palacio called on NATO members to expand their membership to include Israel, Japan and Australia.

Palacio said that NATO must expand to include nations "willing and able to eliminate Islamic fundamentalist terrorism."

However, not all voices are in favor of Israel seeking NATO membership. Speaking at the same event as Palacio, Lord Charles Guthrie, a former chief of General Staff of the British Army recommended that Israel keep its independence.

Guthrie felt that becoming a member may leave Israel beholden to other nation's wishes and objectives. "It would be quite sensible to keep your freedom," Guthrie said.

Improving ties

Israel has never officially sought membership and has never received an official go-ahead to start formal proceedings for membership. NATO's Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer visited Israel last year with the aim of improving ties between his organization and Israel.

While in Israel Mr de Hoop Scheffer discussed many issues like joint military maneuvers, sharing of intelligence and combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The Secretary General was quick to affirm that these discussion "were not a first step to a future membership" with NATO.

Mr de Hoop Scheffer said that the Arab world's hostility to Israeli membership in NATO was a large consideration but was very interested in "an increased political and practical relation" with Israel.

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