Evelyn Gordon, Commentary/Contentions
A front-page story in the New York Times this week provides a reminder of something too often forgotten: The American-Israeli alliance is not a one-way street. While Israel obviously derives numerous benefits from the alliance, it also plays an important role in furthering American interests in the Middle East. And one way it does so is through its impressive intelligence capabilities.
The Times report opens with Israeli military commanders calling the Pentagon in late November “to discuss troubling intelligence that was showing up on satellite imagery: Syrian troops appeared to be mixing chemicals at two storage sites, probably the deadly nerve gas sarin, and filling dozens of 500-pounds bombs that could be loaded on airplanes.” The Pentagon promptly notified President Barack Obama, warning that should Syrian President Bashar Assad decide to use them, the weapons could “be airborne in less than two hours — too fast for the United States to act.” Obama responded with a global diplomatic push to stop the weapons from being used, and so far, the effort has succeeded. But it never could have happened had Israel not provided that initial intelligence.
Nor is this the first time Israel has provided America with vital intelligence about Mideast weapons of mass destruction: As the Times reported in 2011, Washington knew nothing about Syria’s clandestine nuclear reactor until Israel’s intelligence chief “visited President George W. Bush’s national security adviser and dropped photographs of the reactor on his coffee table.”
If, as Obama has repeatedly asserted, preventing the use of WMDs is an American interest, then an ally who can provide timely intelligence about such weaponry clearly furthers that interest: America can’t take diplomatic action to stop WMDs if it doesn’t even know they exist, yet its global intelligence responsibilities preclude devoting the kind of concentrated attention to countries like Syria that Israel of necessity does. Without Israel, America would have to either greatly expand its own intelligence coverage of the Middle East’s bad actors, thereby wasting valuable resources better spent elsewhere, or risk discovering too late that Assad had just used chemical weapons or tested a nuclear bomb.
Israel also provides another service: the ability to take action in cases where America can’t. As the Times article noted, two hours wasn’t enough time for America to mount an intervention had Assad decided to use the weapons. What the article didn’t mention, however, was that two hours probably would have been enough time for Israel to do so: Its airbases are much closer to Syria than America’s are.
Indeed, America has often had cause to be grateful to Israel for taking action that America either can’t or would rather not. President Bush didn’t want to destroy Syria’s nuclear reactor in 2007, for instance, but as I’ve written before, American policy-makers are undoubtedly glad today that Israel did so, thereby forestalling the nightmare scenario of nuclear materiel being looted and trafficked amid the chaos of Syria’s civil war. And in the 1991 Gulf War, America was certainly thankful that Israel had destroyed Iraq’s nuclear reactor 10 years earlier, despite having opposed the move at the time.
In an ideal world, of course, none of this would be necessary. But in the real world, the Mideast is a nasty, dangerous place for American interests. And as long as that remains true, America will benefit from having a reliable regional ally whose military and intelligence capabilities can supplement America’s own.
@ andrew morris:
Not necessarily ‘nonsensical’ when one realizes that the President of Israel is himself a case-in-point.
The remarks that have spewed forth from the lips of Simple Shimon over the past quarter century (and more) have often proven nothing short of breathtaking in the Jewish self-hatred department.
@ Not Ovenready:
Somethimes, everything is a matter of geography (or to phrase, things seen from here look different from there)
being exposed and responsible for reality might give him a differenct percpective
@ Dean:
High taling is not even close to it.
When the Russian Fleet approached Lebanese waters we were fishing at sea near Rosh Hanikra, the border with Lebanon. We saw it with out own eyes. The US Naval Force performed flawlessly. Full speed about and gone!
Israel MUST and I know it will act based on facts.
About the CIA. One of their largest bases in the ME is at the US Embassy in Hayarkon St. Tel Aviv. They certainly are welcome to stay or to move on to Cairo, Gaza city, Beirut, etc.
No problema either way.
I am sure the boys and girls in the MOSSAD and CIA know each other very well.
It’s going to be really ‘interesting’ to witness the relationship between the CIA and Mossad once Brennan takes over. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet….
Think about it, what other nation is surrounded by hostile, crazy and hateful neighbors as Israel, none.
I have to believe since G-d led His people back to the Holy Land He was and is aware they reside in the middle of those who hate them and want to destroy them.
I likewise have to believe He remains with them and will keep them safe.
Their worst enemy appears to be the lack of leadership.
A good start would be to allow His people to pray at their Temple (and remove the rock throwing knuckle heads from the Temple area).
This is no longer the case. Obama is high-tailing it out of the Middle East. The US will have very little influence in a ME moving towards a Muslim Brotherhood power base mixed in with Al Qaeda and the rule of terrorists. Chuck Hagel was asked to be defense secretary to make friends with Iran, to make nice with Islamists and to pressure Israel in harsher, more threatening ways than during Obama’s first term. America is an unreliable partner and Obama is pro-Islamist, anti-Israel.
@ the phoenix:
The term self hating Jew is bandied about as soon as someone says or writes anything critical of Israel. This is rendered nonsense when one of the biggest critics is the President of Israel himself.
@ Sam Goldblatt:
my world views on just about anything and everything is rather simple:
what is the answer to the question “is it beneficial for israel” y/n
laura has asked a VERY VALID question, sam.
i wonder what will be your response.
in this case, the logical approach should be mr harris’ view. i.e. let them kill each other ‘v’kol hamarbeh harei zeh m’shubach’
🙂
And replace him with the muslim brotherhood and or al qaeda, Sam?
Assad is the most vile monster in power today and the American reluctance to take him out as they did Quaddafi is dithering cowardice at its worst.