The Price Israel Should Pay
In a recent analysis of the rising Iranian threat, Chuck Freilich said:
Iran is far more likely to respond against Israel, indeed, to open up with everything it, Hezbollah and Hamas have: large scale terror, rocket attacks blanketing Israel, ballistic missiles. Israel may pay a heavy price, and there is a significant danger of confrontation with Hezbollah, Hamas and, conceivably, Syria. It is a price Israel should be willing to pay.
As an individual with no concern for Israel’s safety, his assertion that it should accept such an outcome as it waits for the United States to exhaust diplomatic and economic deterrence towards Iran, is not surprising. It is however wrong. While the United States may be regarded as the “Great Satan”, it is under minimal threat from Iran, whose military resources are laughable. Israel on the other hand, is much more seriously impacted by an Iranian attack, and is considerably more vulnerable to it. Whereas the United States merely has Iraq-based troops who might be attacked, Israel’s physical landmass is in striking range of Iran’s nuclear-ready Shahab-3 missile, which it successfully tested earlier in the week. In other words, failure to respond puts the very existence of Israel and its millions of people at risk.
Even if such at brutal assault on Israel did not spell the nation’s demise, the consequences would be massive. Most severe is the damage that would be done to Israel’s reputation should it fail to respond, and the impact such timidity would have. For decades, Israel was the de facto regional superpower, whose might prevented even more wars than ultimately transpired. But recent events such as the failed 2006 Lebanon war, the negotiations with Syria over the Golan Heights, and the barrage of rockets fired from Gaza terrorists have done massive harm to this carefully cultivated image. As a nation, Israel now appears weak and vulnerable. So, the enemy no longer need be religiously brainwashed to seek war, as the prospect of victory over Israel seems greater than ever. Withstanding an elevated missile blanketing and not responding will only serve to further tarnish Israel’s reputation for military might, and thus encourage a massive regional war, as has happened in the past.
So, should Israel willingly sit back and wait for the United States to try and bribe or blackmail the insane Iranian regime into ending its quest for nation-destroying nuclear weaponry? Absolutely not. To do so fundamentally threatens the safety of Israel and all who reside in its borders. Moreover, such efforts will be assuredly futile, as the premise upon which they are founded is invalid. Doing so assumes that the radical leadership of the rogue Iranian state can be reasoned with, and will act in accordance with the dictates of logic. Unfortunately, it is exceptionally clear that those in charge are the victims of religious indoctrination, and are so certain of their religious convictions that they will gladly put their entire nation at risk if it means the possible elimination of Israel. Thus, the extension of good faith only affords the Iranian regime with more time to continue the development of WMDs and the arming of terrorist organizations it already supports with the tools needed to finish off whatever their missile attacks do not.
Undoubtedly, the chief argument against Israel preemptively striking Iran is the consequences it will have on the United States. Though the nation itself would not likely face any serious threat, the Iranians are in the perfect position to interfere with American operations in Iraq. Yet those who would try to argue against such a needed Israeli operation ignore the fact that Iran is presently the main force in the insurgency going on Iraq. In other words, they have already engaged in military attacks on the United States by way of proxy, and thus have few additional options. Any attempt at direct engagement would be met with a swift American response.
Too rarely does Israel respond with the necessary force, due in large part to pressure applied by the American government. But, when the very existence of a nation is threatened, as happens to be the cases with Israel presently, and a strategic military operation could mute such a threat, it is obligated to act in its own defense. Especially when any consequences for the United States would be minimal, it is inexcusable to suggest that Israel meekly rely on Western diplomacy instead of ensuring its own security. If the United States objects, Israel can turn elsewhere for airspace. And, outside of controlling the sky over Iraq, it is not the place of the United States to involve itself here, except perhaps to offer tactical support for this vital defensive maneuver.
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