Threat?
Photo:Reuters
Pinning our hopes on God
Our role boils down to bearing brunt in case US attacks Iran
Israel's preoccupation with the Iranian threat is becoming overly excessive. To be more precise – obsessive. Despite sincere efforts to convey the seriousness of the threat, there is no respite from the sense that it carries a fair measure of political cynicism.
It is convenient for Israel's battered and confused administration to wave this imposing scarecrow in the air in an attempt to scare away those irksome birds who are pecking at its flesh.
I am not saying there is no Iranian threat. We can understand the concern by relatively moderate Arab states as they face the fundamentalist super power that is undoubtedly seeking to extol its ideology. This is where fear of a nuclear Iran stems from.
Yet it is not out of fear that Iran will attack, even Ahmadinejad is not crazy enough to provide the West with a pretext to pay him back him with the same token, but it is rather because of the Korean Syndrome. Namely, the protection against occupation and total destruction that nuclear armament gives to it owners.
No one would dare do to a nuclear Iran what was done to Afghanistan and Iraq. Yet despite the above, it is not enough to justify our hysteria. It seems that considerable megalomania and lack of a desire to come to terms with Israel's minimal status and size is in fact at the root of this Israeli fervor.
And indeed, it is more appropriate to "prepare for the Iranian threat" than it is to understand Israel's real place in this entire affair.
In the name of "preparedness" budgets can be increased, coalitions broadened, ranks unified, criticism shunned, political processes abolished, commitments avoided and an "Iranian Command" set up in the army. Several persons have even proposed changing the political system vis-à-vis the "Iranian threat."
Yet, Israel's true role in this affair is just to be a hostage. The great Satan's pet, the Big Brother's little sister, the one that will suffer several heavy blows if anyone lifts its hand at the Iranian bully.
Israel – the home front of the US
In other words, we are America's home front, Bush's Galilee. If heaven forbid he decides to launch an attack, he will say: "I know that in my decision to attack Iran I will be exposing Israel to a missile offensive, but I am sure it will persevere…"
This is the essence of our role, to bear the brunt of an American attack. It's not pleasant, not honorable, not heroic, but it's all there is.
Is it any wonder, therefore, that Israel prefers finding solace and pride in its feverish talks about "preparedness?"
What can we do?
Moreover, let's assume that the Iranian threat is alive and kicking. So what? In all honesty and modesty, what can Israel do? Could it send an elite commando unit to assassinate senior wanted Iranians? Could it dispatch military divisions to conquer Persia? Bomb Iran, Isfahan, Zahedan and Abadan like mad?
Place roadblocks on all the routes leading to the Iranian capital, ban youngsters up to 30 years-of-age from worshipping at the mosques? There's a limit to the megalomania. The best Israel can do is the best Persia can do: To launch barrages of ground-to-ground missiles and to celebrate the mutual massacre with flowery speeches.
And even if all the above is absolute foolishness and Iran is indeed planning to arm itself with nuclear weapons in order to drop it on our heads, there's not much point in all the hysteric preparedness taking place.
It appears that only one thing is called for: Transfer of the handling of the entire Iranian affair to the "Major General of the Iranian Command."
Because except for praying emotionally and pinning all our hopes on the Almighty, there's not much we can do.
