Israel's Arsenal Threatened
I haven't seen much about this in the Western press, but the recent spanking that Bush gave Lybia has presented Israel with an unexpected complication - renewed diplomatic moves in the form of arms control pressure from the United Nations (who else?) and other hotbeds of anti-Israel activity (the State Dept?)
Ha'aretz has two different articles on the subject today here and here - both are worth reading, although the first gets kind of tedious in that annoying Leftist-American-academia kind of way that Ha'aretz is so good at (obligatory gestures to enemy threat construction, the military industrial complex, &c). Their conclusions are largely the same:
But that:
All but the most starry-eyed idealists (and, I suppose, those who dream of finally pushing the Jews into the sea) should agree that it's in everyone's interests that Israel maintain a military safety net, even if it exists only pyschological and in the minds of its policy makers. Israel's current leadership will not allow the Third Temple Commonwealth to be destroyed and we're all better off it they think that their enemies know it.
Ha'aretz has two different articles on the subject today here and here - both are worth reading, although the first gets kind of tedious in that annoying Leftist-American-academia kind of way that Ha'aretz is so good at (obligatory gestures to enemy threat construction, the military industrial complex, &c). Their conclusions are largely the same:
The United States has made it clear that it does not intend to deal with Israel's nuclear capabilities now. "I don't think there will be a change in policy toward Israel in the nuclear field," a senior American official said this week. "The Arabs will raise the issue, and Israel will need to find a way to explain its policy. But we understand that as long as Israel is facing Arab rejectionism from so many directions, the way to deal with this is via quiet discussions."
But that:
There is, however, one element that could force Israel to let loose of its reported non-conventional arsenal - its chief ally.
"If Washington made that decision, that would be it. Israel would decide to give it up. Israel would never resist a U.S. policy decision. We'll make the noises of rejection, quarrel, and anger, but basically we would accept it. "
"If Washington made that decision, that would be it. Israel would decide to give it up. Israel would never resist a U.S. policy decision. We'll make the noises of rejection, quarrel, and anger, but basically we would accept it. "
All but the most starry-eyed idealists (and, I suppose, those who dream of finally pushing the Jews into the sea) should agree that it's in everyone's interests that Israel maintain a military safety net, even if it exists only pyschological and in the minds of its policy makers. Israel's current leadership will not allow the Third Temple Commonwealth to be destroyed and we're all better off it they think that their enemies know it.
