“Never again” has a very different meaning to Jews than it does to the rest of the world. Many of you think it means that never again will we stand still for genocide. You’re partly right. It means never again will we trust our defense to anyone else, thus preventing our genocide. I don’t think that Gates, or the Obama Administration, get that. The Bush Administration used to early on.
Jonathan’s comment: I hope the Israeli govt gets it. I’m not sure they still do.
I think that BiBi understands. So does his Defense minister.
I hope that Bibi understands that his political aspirations are secondary to the survival of Judaism and Israel. I too think that he does, but I am not sure. And that scares me.
As for never again trusting our defense to others? In the macro sense there is very little that the individual can do, but here in the United States, exercising one’s 2nd Amendment rights is a good way to start.
Yourish is wrong about “the whole country [Iran] hating Israel”. From what I read, the Iranian public would like to get rid of the Mullahs and take care of their own affairs. As to the anti-semitic president, he is likely to lose an election in June, due to his failure to deliver on his domestic economic promises, not due to his bloviating on foreign policy. Furthermore, he does not control what weapons are used against whom. And he and everybody else know that an overt attack on Israel, particularly a nuclear attack, is suicide. Perhaps that is a price some in Iran are willing to pay. There is no evidence that I have seen that the Iranian leadership is suicidal on its own behalf or on behalf of its families and supporters. Like most terrorist leaders, they send other people out to commit suicide.
Israel’s interests and the USA’s interests do not overlap in every case. There is no reason they should.
Our interest is having the patience to let the Iranian people push the Mullah regime over, as the people of the former Eastern Bloc did. It was not in our interest to go to open warfare with the Soviet Union, nor is it in the interest of the USA to engage in open warfare with Iran.
But of course, this could all be wrong. Iran may in fact present an immediate, mortal threat to Israel.
The Israelis should do what they think is necessary, and accept the consequences, including the termination of US financial support. In the long run, terminating that cash dependency would be best for both parties.
If Israel has to have absolute security from nuclear attack, something the USA has not enjoyed for at least four decades, and never will again, then it should preemptively destroy Iran with its nuclear weapons, and kill as many Iranians as that entails.
Otherwise, Israel will have to live with the existence a hostile power that can destroy it, and rely on deterrance, like the USA has done all these years.
The USA is not going to destroy Iran to secure Israel.
Israel can live with that, or act on its own. Either way, it is up to Israel to do what it deems necessary.
-The Iranian people aren’t the problem but that’s beside the point. The regime has been working on nuclear weapons for almost as long as it’s been around. It has an imperial and aggressive view of its interests, besides being hostile to Israel, and threatens other countries as well.
-Absolute security from nuclear attack is a straw man. Israel faces a threat which it may be able to minimize for several years by bombing selected Iranian nuclear facilities. Sounds like an option worth considering rather than dismissing.
-Your faith in MAD deterrence is touching. I don’t think the mullahs share it, nor do I think it’s worth much if neither the USA nor Israel is willing to engage Iran militarily at a lower level.
-I think Israel should repudiate US subsidies. My fear is that the current Israeli govt will decide to accept an Iranian knife at Israel’s throat rather than do the hard thing and reject the money.
-I also think that an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would be beneficial for the USA. Call me crazy but I think a nuclear Iran would be a major threat to us and our interests, and that even a partial or unsuccessful attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities would help to discourage other countries from pursuing nukes.
-The Israeli govt’s first responsibility is to protect Jews from genocide. As a Jew I hope that they will take this responsibility seriously.
This spring is your Last Chance to visit Jerusalem, the Holy Land, the Crusader castles and the pyramids.
When Iran nukes Israel, prevailing winds will carry the fallout and render Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, all the Palestinian lands, Syria, Jordan, and Southern Lebanon radioactive for 1000 years. Winds will carry the fallout up the Nile and render the Suez Canal, Alexandria, Cairo and the pyramids radioactive for the next 1000 years. Shiite Iraq, the Gulf states and Iran will not be touched by the fallout.
Iran is not building a “clean” bomb. It is building the dirtiest, most radioactive, most terrifying Atomic Bomb possible because that is what terrorists do.
We have a President who is ashamed of Christianity and he has decided to sacrefice the Holy Land for the Greater Good. He has chosen to be a witness, not an actor. Perhaps he will wash his hands in the Oval Office on national TV.
This spring is it. See the Holy Land, Jerusalem and the Pyramids while you can.
I wonder if it would be possible to terminate the far greater US financial support (that does not even require buying military equipment in the US) to some of the Arab countries. For instance, Egypt. Exactly, what does the US get out of that? They are not reliable allies and there is no guarantee of stability.
I also think it is quite touching, Lex, that you assume the Iranian people will be asked as to what they want the money spent on. Not winning the presidential election? We shall see. There are ways of winning even when you are supremely unpopular. The Revolutionary Guards spring to mind.