WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ISRAEL SUCCESSFULLY ATTACK’S IRAN NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS? WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF SHE DOESN’T? (posted on FLAME web site)
President Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize, and we congratulate him for it. We hope that he can be successful in decreasing tensions in the world and bring feuding peoples together. However, we should note that peace does not always come from diplomacy.
To pick one notable example, diplomacy was an utter failure with Germany and Japan prior to World War II. Their leaders did not want peace—or at least not a peace that left the rest of the world free and intact. We ultimately achieved a lasting peace, but it required militarily defeating our sworn enemies.
Likewise, Islamic fundamentalists give no indication that they want peace with non-Muslim nations. To the contrary: Their demands are absolute—domination of Islamic dictatorships around the world. From Osama bin Laden and the Taliban to Hamas, Hizbollah the Muslim Brotherhood and Ahmahdinajad’s Iran: All express the desire to conquer non-believers—especially the Jews and especially the Jews in Israel.
Among these groups, of course, the greatest concern for Israel is Iran, since once Iran has a nuclear weapons capability, Israel could be effectively destroyed by a single nuclear strike. Retaliation at that point, even if Israel or the United States were to mount a response, would be moot. Israel would be gone.
This week’s FLAME Hotline, by Yoram Ettinger, examines the existential question of what Israel should do about the looming danger of Iran’s developing an atomic weapon. While an Iranian bomb would specifically only threaten Israel directly, the radical Islamic state’s possession of such a weapon would unhinge the power relationships for the whole world, starting with the assured oil supply through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Because of President Obama’s apparent commitment to following a diplomatic path with Ahmahdinajad—despite the fact that this approach has over the past seven years failed to deter Iran in the slightest—it is unlikely that the United States will take any military action. Rather, it is quite likely that the burden of action will fall on Israel.
We have previously published in this space essays about Israeli military and political matters by Yoram Etinger, a former Consul General of Israel in the United States (Dallas), who carries the rank of Ambassador. He is one of the best-informed and knowledgeable observers of the scene.
As Iran’s nuclear efforts continue unabated and the stakes for Israel increase dramatically, so do the chances that the Jewish state will attack Iran preemptively. It behooves us to understand the world political ramifications and Israel’s chances for success. In contrast to other commentators, Mr. Ettinger seems to be quite confident that Israel could be successful in such an action.
