Israel vs Iranian nukes

Submitted by Moshe Levy (Canada), Jun 13, 2007 at 08:52

All these calculations and speculations are of the "wishful thinking" category. Many conditions would have to be fulfilled before contemplating such an adventure.

1. Israel must get rid of their present-day government, and replace it - if at all possible - by a military junta capable of making rational military decisions without regard to politics, votes in the Knesset or preferences of the US and limitations by the EU and the UN. This is a matter of survival, and nothing should be discarded in favour of "politically correct" attitudes. The dead or future dead don't have many choices.

2. The Jews in the Diaspora will suffer too. We would have to balance some loss of life and destruction of synagogues, schools and cemeteries against the threat of losing Israel. We should be prepared to face the situation and, eventually, pay the price.

3. The lessons learned in Lebanon with Hezbollah and in Gaza with Hamas should determine the future path of operations in the region. Nothing is gained by bombing a few facilities in Iran and delaying their nuclear capability by a few months or a couple of years. In the meantime, Israel will be showered with rockets, katuyshas, missiles and what have you. We've seen the results only last summer. Israel should have some kind of protective umbrella and gear all its economy toward the military rather than boast of a high tech economy and medical achievements. Nobody cares.

4. Therefore, while bombing the nuclear facilities in Iran, a strategy should be in place to neutralize completely and irreparably the threats from Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank. No more "targeted killings" that achieve nothing, but carpet bombing of infrastructure that will paralyze or annihilate the enemy for years to come. Of course, the international community will try to intervene, and we should be wary of external interventions from Islamic countries, in particular Pakistan, Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia among others.

5. All this leads to one logical conclusion. Israel should be prepared to use the ultimate weapon and give proper notice to all those who would contemplate attacking her. Once all this turmoil is started Israel should be prepared to go to the finish, and so should the Jews around the world. The alternative would be the dismantling of Israel and the reversal of the Diaspora to pariah status at some future date.

6. I don't see Olmert or Barak, or Netanyahu for that matter, as capable of adopting such a sweeping strategy. A new and determined - military - leadership is needed in Israel. Israel should make itself respected and feared in the world, it will never be loved. Anti-semitism is here to stay and flourish. They should emulate North Korea and, to a certain extent, Iran. The world is only too eager to engage these two countries and offer them countless rewards in order to placate their desire of becoming nuclear powers. Can't Israel do the same?

Finally, the "mechanics" of an attack against the nuclear facilities in Iran are only one aspect of a larger problem. Unless a global strategy is devised in Israel, there is a risk of seing it dismantled at some future date and its population decimated. And believe me, a sigh of relief will be heard throughout the world.

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