For decades now, ever since between the 1967 Six Days War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israeli Governments have been trusting the United States with top-secret military information and asking its advice. This is a terribly dangerous policy. Two reasons:
- American and Israeli agendas aren’t identical.
- The United States has absolutely no experience, nor success, in defeating enemies which aim to destroy it. For the past fifty or so years, the American military hasn’t fully defeated any army. It got totally messed up in Vietnam and finally left with its tail between its legs. Their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan aren’t relevant for Israel’s problems, nor are they all that successful.
This mistaken idea that the U.S. is Israel’s trusted ally has been proven wrong time and again. The friendship is terribly one-sided, and successive American presidents Perseid in promoting policies that endanger the very existence of the State of Israel. Unfortunately it is very hard for Israeli politicians to see and accept the truth. They so desperately, dangerously and pathetically want us to be liked and have friends. For that we keep taking risks we shouldn’t. And that’s why Israel didn’t just bomb the Iranian nuclear reactor in its early stages, which it did decades ago under Menachem Begin’s leadership in Iraq. That sort of military action is only successful if it’s a total surprise. After years of public discussions about Iran’s nuclear development, surprise is no longer on the menu.
The Israeli Air Force probably was the source of a missile attack that destroyed a Syrian air base Thursday. The Israeli Air Force attacked and destroyed Hezbollah-bound SAM-8 missiles at a Syrian air base at the western port of Latakia early Thursday and apparently were the source of a later bombing of missiles near Damascus. Read more here.
Apparently, Israeli authorities had confided with the Americans about military action against Syria, expecting total secrecy and discretion. The Americans blurted it out to the media angering (or was it just disappointing) Israel.
Israeli security needs are best handled by keeping secrets secret and not consulting with any outsiders. Our greatest military victories were when we were alone. Most people don’t remember this, but in May and early June, 1967 while Jews all over the world and international sympathizers worried about the future of the State of Israel because of the vicious threats to annihilate it by Egypt and Syria, no foreign country nor the United Nations did anything to stop Egypt and Syria. That should be a lesson, permanently engraved in our minds, psyches and policy. Push comes to shove, we Israelis have no true reliable allies. But we have G-d Who will protect us as long as we obey His Torah and Mitzvot.
Visit Shiloh Musings.