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Netanyahu Needs New Iran Strategy

Israel should recognize the opportunity presented by the election of Hassan Rouhani as president of Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he speaks during an interview with Reuters in Jerusalem June 17, 2013.  Iran's election has exposed popular discontent with the Tehran government but was unlikely to bring about any change in Iranian nuclear policy, Netanyahu told Reuters on Monday.  REUTERS/Darren Whiteside (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS HEADSHOT) - RTX10R1H

As of Aug. 3, Iran is going to have a new president, Hassan Rouhani. When it comes to foreign policy, Rouhani can best be described as the anti-Ahmadinejad. A new president in Iran calls for a new approach from Israel toward Iran.

With Rouhani in office, Iran is going to sound a lot more diplomatic and moderate. Rouhani is not a known Holocaust denier like President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Its also quite likely that he is going to tone down the anti-Israel rhetoric for which Ahmadinejad is famous. In fact, in his first press conference, Rouhani went against years of protocol by referring to Israel by its proper name instead of “the Zionist entity,” a term which the majority of politicians in the Iranian regime have been using.

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