By Karin McQuillan, AMJERICAN THINKER
We have a president who has a problem with Israel. According to a New York Times column, “Don’t Do It, Bibi,” Obama called Bibi Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, in mid-January to demand a promise that Israel would not bomb Iran in the next few months. Obama doesn’t want a spike in oil prices before our presidential election. The threat of unhappy voters is more important to Obama than a nuclear Iran. He is more concerned about his re-election than he is about a dirty bomb in the hands of a terrorist that could waste one of our cities, a destabilized Middle East, or a nuclear attack on Israel.
Obama’s indifference to Israel’s safety is a moral problem, but it is more than that. It poses a grave threat to our national security.
Israel’s blessings don’t stop with the gifts of individual Jews advancing high tech and medical care. Israeli inventiveness in those fields is of the greatest military importance to us. As a country, Israel does more than any other country in the world to keep the U.S. safe — literally. This would be part of the foreign policy equation of our White House and State Department, if they didn’t suffer from Arabism.
What has Israel done for us? The two most important areas of 21st-century warfare are electronics and cyberspace. Israel is the world leader in both those areas. Because we are mutual allies, Israel shares its knowledge and equipment with us. We would not be as far ahead in military technology, security, intelligence, or counter-terrorism without this crucial strategic alliance.
Compare the benefits of our alliance with Israel to the things we get from our allies in Europe. Europe has chosen to take advantage of us, depending on our taxpayers to protect theirs. They use us for a free ride. Britain supports us, but has no great military budget anymore. Their modern weapons systems depend on us. There is no broad two-way street.
Our alliance with Israel is not only broad and mutual, but it is essential.
Drones? Israel is the world leader in the development of unmanned aerial systems, including drones (invented by an Israeli) for intelligence collection and combat, and has shared with the U.S. military technology, doctrine, and vital experience.
Think of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We use an Israeli-produced tactical radar system to enhance force protection. Israel is “a global pacesetter in active measures for armored vehicle protection,” which we use to save our soldiers’ lives. Israel invented the short-range rocket defense we use in both wars. Israel has shared its advanced military robotics with us. The lifesaving armor installed in thousands of MRAP armored vehicles used in Iraq and Afghanistan is known as the “Israeli bandage.” Groundbreaking innovations including sensors, unmanned aerial vehicle technology, surveillance equipment, and detection devices to seek out IEDs — all from Israel. American and Israeli companies are working together to jointly produce the world’s first combat-proven counter-rocket system.
State-of-the-art missile defense? Israel is America’s “most sophisticated and experienced partner in missile defense,” helping us from invention to deployment to joint training exercises. The U.S. has deployed an advanced X-band radar system in Israel with more than 100 American military personnel stationed there, as part of our missile defense architecture to protect U.S. forces and our allies in Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Persian Gulf.
Our Navy and Air Force? Israel provides us with a revolutionary helmet-mounted sight that is standard in nearly all frontline Air Force and Navy fighter aircraft. Israel provides us with a gun system for close-in defense of naval vessels against terrorist dinghies and small-boat swarms. Israel provides a port of call for the Sixth Fleet. Israel provides the targeting pods we use on hundreds of Air Force, Navy, and Marine strike aircraft.
Nuclear threats? It was very helpful that Israel prevented Iraq from developing nuclear capability by bombing Osirik in 1981. In 2007, Israel prevented Syria from developing nuclear capability by bombing Syria’s secret nuclear facility at al-Kibar. Washington didn’t know about the North Korean-built reactor “until Meir Dagan, then the head of the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service, visited President George W. Bush’s national security adviser” and told us. And we’re evidently relying on Israel to stop Iran from going nuclear — a difficult and dangerous job we need done but aren’t willing to do ourselves.
The war on terror? Israel provides homeland security training for U.S. airport security and police departments across the country. They’ve worked to help us with national resilience planning to save lives and preserve national security during natural disasters and terror attacks. Israel helps us with counter-terrorism intelligence and cooperation in defeating the terrorist operations of Hamas, Hezb’allah, and al-Qaeda. We have joint Special Forces training and exercises, collaboration on shared targets, and close cooperation among the relevant U.S. and Israeli security for preventive actions and deterrence. We rely on Israeli advances to enhance our capabilities to defend our cyberspace from sabotage. Israeli advances protect our banking, communications, utilities, transportation, and internet infrastructure.
Israel is not a charity case. U.S. presidents are sworn to protect and defend America, not Israel. Sixty years of close cooperation has been maintained because it is to our benefit. It was President Eisenhower who first recognized that Israel was a key strategic asset in the Cold War, a policy Kissinger and Nixon implemented. Post-9/11, this is truer than ever with regards to the new threats facing our citizens.
The U.S.-Israeli relationship makes it easier for our military to do their job. In superficial ways, it makes it harder for the State to do their job. Our State Department is unwilling to confront Arab lies about Israel being the cause of Islamic violence. There is no actual cost to our alliance with Israel, and immeasurable benefits. Unfortunately, our State Department has few Kissingers who can see past Arab propaganda to the realities of national interest.
Israel is a highly effective ally in our fight to defend and protect America. The Israelis do more than any other country in the world to oppose the imposition of the jihadi vision. Europe is succumbing. Obama would follow. The rest of us know that our alliance with Israel helps keep us safe.
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Why make it complicated? America has it own best interests in mind. Same can be said for Israel. If both interests happen to converge (as it happened during the cold war) well that’s great. But if they diverge- now you have a problem. Nothing to do about virtue or evil, or anything like that. And that is the way it has worked since the year one.
You misunderstand him/her, Bernard.
For Bahmi, that’s normal.
“Supporting cast”?
You mean the Palestinian cheering section that was passing out candy & dancing in the streets of Ramallah, Nablus, Beit’lechem & Gaza on 9/11? — that supporting cast?
When YOU say “Zionists,” you MEAN Jews.
But the truth is that if the Congress is “saturated by Zionists,” then they’re Christian Zionists
— because there aren’t enough JEWS in Congress to “saturate” the senior prom at Miss Westward’s Academy for Wayward Waifs.
Scared, are you, Bahmi, of ‘Jewish power‘?
Does the very idea make you shiver & shake in your boots?
Good.
sorry, your name appears to be misspelled, shouldn’t it be “balmy”?
IT IS MADATORY-OBAMA MUST GO
Husein Obama wants to milk the Iranian crisis in two ways:
1. Create a situation similar to what JFK did with the Cuban missile crisis in time for the US congrssional elections (in this case the presidential elections) to show his capacity as a world leader.
2. To proclaim that he saved Israel from a new holocaust making points with the American Jewish voters and require that a grateful Israel give him all the concesions he has demanded.
Israel is capable of destroying Iran without firing a single missile or dropping bombs from airplanes. Israeli General Gans indicate “unnatural” events would take place.
Stupid idiots that insist Iran “must be stopped”. With a government saturated by Zionists, with a Congress saturated by Zionists and those paid by Zionists, the United States cannot be merely seen as an “independent imperialist”. Look at money concentration in the United States. Look at the supporting cast of 911. Yeah, right, the United States is an independent warmonger but Zionism isn’t. Hahahahahahahah!
Be ready for a US first strike on Iran (or an unproportional response to gunfire on a USNvessel in the Straits) if the polls show Obama is losing in the runup to the November election. He will use such an attack to formulate some sort of patriotic response and resultant support at the polls. IF Israel goes in first such stategy may backfire for BOs reelection, but sooner or later Iarn must be castrated.
Quite so.
Not so.
The McQuillan piece is a good article. But like many, she’s mistaken in regarding our relationship as an “alliance.”
If it were, in fact, an alliance, there WOULD such a legal commitment as that of which you write.
What’s more, there would be a formal Treaty solemnizing it, and ratified by the US Senate (which would give it the force of law domestically in the US) — just such a Treaty as there is among the NATO countries.
Moreover, if there had been such a Treaty in effect during the early 80’s — rather than merely a (non-ratified) Memorandum of Understanding on Military Cooperation, signed only by the GOI Defense Minister & US Sec-DoD — Pollard would never have been imprisoned
— and very likely would never have been impaled on Morton’s Fork with the dilemma that ultimately shredded his life.
True.
True, but then you ask for America not be America.
Paul says:
February 3, 2012 at 8:11 pm
We can but only divested from America, along with a change of leadership.
America needs to have a conflict to be used to spread it’s influence and sell weapons.
True!
True!
They believe they have legitimate grievances with Israel, it goes to their religious beliefs and cultural pride. The existence of Israel a JEWISH State messes up their religious theology. Defeat by Jews is a blow not only to their religious beliefs re: Jews, but their pride will not allow them to give up, even if it takes generations to accomplish their aims.
False!! America is their natural ally. That’s why America backs every despot and tyranny in the world because American imperialism is economically based. The only thing important to America is wealth accumulation and she uses her military power to advance her wealth and greed. That is American morality and values. Money, Money, Money. Everything and everyone is expendable to those ends.
I apologize for the harsh language, but I keep hearing this refrain over and over again and it doesn’t deserve civil language. And you are making my point. Israel has very little reason to be making the US safe, even if it does. Israel deserves the protection of the US and the US has no reason to expect Israel to protect us.
And Israel is in no position to be depended on as a “strategic asset” or anything like that for a country as large and powerful as the US. It is a weird and obsessive suggestion that borders on antisemitism which poses Jews as having a magical force to be reckoned with in the world, only in this case they are obliged to be a force for good, I guess, but at least a global force that the US needs and depends on.
Israel deserves the protection of the US because its enemies are evil and have no legitimate grievances against it. If they are allowed to have their way with Israel, we give them the momentum to treat us the same way and we are somewhat less innocent than the Jews.
Paul writes: “If Israel keeps the US safe, then why can’t it keep itself safe?” If Paul would drop his “crap” vocabulary and read some history he would learn that America has betrayed Israel at every step by tying Israel’s hands and arming Israel’s enemies. In 1948, in 1967, in 1973 America sabotaged Israel’s ability to defend itself even when Israel faced possible destruction. And today Obama is allowing Iran to get the bomb while pressuring Israel to wait and be attacked. And there is NO legal commitment for America to assist Israel if they get attacked. Israel would be better off if Obama would mind his own damn business and protect America which he is failing to do.
This is crap. But even if it wasn’t, so what? If Israel keeps the US safe, then why can’t it keep itself safe? Why don’t we keep Israel safe?
The US does not need Israel for its national or international security, to suggest otherwise is just crap. Crap. Israel does not need to be some kind of magical, secret sauce for US interests in order to justify protecting itself from its enemies. The enemies of Israel have no legitimate grievances against Israel and are nothing more that sadistic bullies who are trying to collect allies for their persecution of the innocent people of Israel. The US is the natural enemy of such international conduct and no other arguments need be applied.