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Menu There is no diplomatic solutionIsrael should declare three nos;
no to nuclear Iran, no to two-state solution, no to bi-national state
no to nuclear Iran, no to two-state solution, no to bi-national state
Correction:By “him” in the second sentence I was referring to Trump, not Dore Gold. For some reason I was not able to correct the post.
Dore Gold gives an excellent analysis of the strategic threat to Israel posed by the Iranian forces in Syria. What he doesn’t understand is the domestic political constraints that make it impossible for him to main a small American force, highly vulnerable to attack by the Iranians and others, as a “tripwire” to faciliate a larger-scale U.S. invasion of Syria once the small, vulnerable “tripwire” force is attacked. Americans are weary of wars and the heavy financial costs of the wars it has fought in recent decades, and the considerable loss of life of American soldiers, and the much larger number of permanently disabled vets, all without accomplishing any visible or tangible benefits for the United States. This resulted mainly from the inconsistent behaviors of previous administrations, before Trump became President–first sending sizable U.S. forces into Iraq, for example, then pulling them out (under Obama), then putting a small force back in (also under Obama. The U.S. also fought in Afghanistan for seventeen years, without ever sending in enough troops or using sufficient force to defeat the Taliban, which is now close to victory. In the absence of a political mandate to conquer these countries and drive out the anti-American, anti-Israel forces there, Trump has no choice but to remove these token U.S. forces from harm’s way. Had previous American administrations made more judicious use of American forces, and had clearer strategic goals, the withdrawals might not be necessary now. But the past cannot be changed, and the troops had to be withdrawn now to protect American lives, and allow Trump to refocus U.S. military strategy on Homeland defense. He is right to see this as a more important strategic goal for the U.S at the present time. given its present financial situation and internal political realities. Not good for Israel; but necessary to protect the U.S. from harm at a time of deep internal divisions and an uncertain political future in the U.S. Sometimes statemen have to make hard choices; and I believe Trump is a statesman.