MY point is that I think that Israel has more power then it thinks it has. It has to start changing its own attitude towards itself. The Israeli elite hates the fact that it is in the middle east and therefore pretends it is in Western Europe. Of course I want it to remain a free, democratic nation state - but that doesn't mean it needs to give in to every Western demand. It is tricky with the US - but Biden did not want Israel to go into Gaza with ground troops at all - and it did. I think that Israel has some leverage over the US.
For example - the F35 was nearly on the chopping block. It got the worst press possible in the US as it became operational. Once Israel took delivery and used it to spectacular success - the tone changed and its purchases rose.
But you are right that the US under Biden is a problem. But I think it can be overcome.
I am not sure about your comment about the “Israeli elite hating the fact that it is in the Middle East and therefore pretends it is in Western Europe.” This may be true of the ever-shrinking percentage of Ashkenazi Jews in Israel but fails to tell the whole story. I think that Israel’s strength - which it has failed to make clear to the West - is that it is in fact a bridge straddling two distinct and very distinct cultures, Western and Middle Eastern. One might well conclude from the endless handwringing in the West that its main fear is that Israel will go full-on Middle Eastern on everyone. It won’t.
It seems to me that two things are still going on in the US: the surface talk and the underlying actions. We have not yet reached the point where personal animus drives our conception of the national interest. The surface talk is showing itself to be little more than moving the goal posts when convenient. When the Israeli assault of Rafah commences, the US will see it as measured and largely consistent with its desires though it might criticize certain details depending on the coverage just to keep certain partisans in line. The same will be true of whatever Israel’s restoration of deterrence against Iran requires.
Israel is well aware of its military capabilities, and I agree that it eventually needs to address the threats around it and that it should do so with the understanding and acquiescence of its Arab partners, especially as it is to their benefit as well. As to Iran, I cannot help but wonder whether hitting segments of its military-industrial complex might be enough to discredit it in the eyes of its people leading to an implosion - though the outcomes of such things can never be predicted and the region might wind up with worse. Yet an internally divided Iran cannot sow division the way it does now. As always, I’m glad I am not in a decision-making position.
And for what it’s worth, the F-35 avionics were upgraded by Israel and will continue to be so based on experience - which is exactly what the US expects of Israel.
1. As for the Israeli "elite" hating the fact that it is in the middle east - I don't see how that can be denied. The entire establishment - media, judges, prosecutors, generals were opposed to the judicial reform not because of any policy issue - but because it meant that they would lose the last bastion of their power.
2. Hitting the IRG itself and weakening it will mean that the regime will not have the power to resist its opponents who are, from what I read 1/2 to 3/4 of the population.
Melanie Phillips is fantastic.
MY point is that I think that Israel has more power then it thinks it has. It has to start changing its own attitude towards itself. The Israeli elite hates the fact that it is in the middle east and therefore pretends it is in Western Europe. Of course I want it to remain a free, democratic nation state - but that doesn't mean it needs to give in to every Western demand. It is tricky with the US - but Biden did not want Israel to go into Gaza with ground troops at all - and it did. I think that Israel has some leverage over the US.
For example - the F35 was nearly on the chopping block. It got the worst press possible in the US as it became operational. Once Israel took delivery and used it to spectacular success - the tone changed and its purchases rose.
But you are right that the US under Biden is a problem. But I think it can be overcome.
I am not sure about your comment about the “Israeli elite hating the fact that it is in the Middle East and therefore pretends it is in Western Europe.” This may be true of the ever-shrinking percentage of Ashkenazi Jews in Israel but fails to tell the whole story. I think that Israel’s strength - which it has failed to make clear to the West - is that it is in fact a bridge straddling two distinct and very distinct cultures, Western and Middle Eastern. One might well conclude from the endless handwringing in the West that its main fear is that Israel will go full-on Middle Eastern on everyone. It won’t.
It seems to me that two things are still going on in the US: the surface talk and the underlying actions. We have not yet reached the point where personal animus drives our conception of the national interest. The surface talk is showing itself to be little more than moving the goal posts when convenient. When the Israeli assault of Rafah commences, the US will see it as measured and largely consistent with its desires though it might criticize certain details depending on the coverage just to keep certain partisans in line. The same will be true of whatever Israel’s restoration of deterrence against Iran requires.
Israel is well aware of its military capabilities, and I agree that it eventually needs to address the threats around it and that it should do so with the understanding and acquiescence of its Arab partners, especially as it is to their benefit as well. As to Iran, I cannot help but wonder whether hitting segments of its military-industrial complex might be enough to discredit it in the eyes of its people leading to an implosion - though the outcomes of such things can never be predicted and the region might wind up with worse. Yet an internally divided Iran cannot sow division the way it does now. As always, I’m glad I am not in a decision-making position.
And for what it’s worth, the F-35 avionics were upgraded by Israel and will continue to be so based on experience - which is exactly what the US expects of Israel.
1. As for the Israeli "elite" hating the fact that it is in the middle east - I don't see how that can be denied. The entire establishment - media, judges, prosecutors, generals were opposed to the judicial reform not because of any policy issue - but because it meant that they would lose the last bastion of their power.
2. Hitting the IRG itself and weakening it will mean that the regime will not have the power to resist its opponents who are, from what I read 1/2 to 3/4 of the population.
3. F35's - that is correct. Good for sales.