A Very Tough Neighborhood

"This land is mine, God gave this land to me..."

 

Exodus

 

 

When you think about living in a tough neighborhood these days, think about Israel. Ever since statehood in 1947, the neighborhood that Israel lives in has gone from tough to tougher. It is hated by most of its neighbors, tolerated by some, liked by none. Israel is truly an island which stands only with itself in the region.

 

Why is that? What has Israel done that has been so heinous to its neighbors? There have been wars fought over there, but none have been started by Israel. If anything, Israel has shown remarkable restraint in dealing with many of the incursions which seem to come from all directions.

 

Right now the biggest threat that Israel faces is from someone outside the neighborhood - Iran. Even though Iran does not border Israel, it uses "allies" to act as conduits to supply arms to its puppet, Hezbollah. However, aggravating constant small missile attacks are to Israel, they are really concerned about an "end game" solution that  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might be cooking up in his clandestine nuclear program. Israel will not tolerate this threat, and we better understand the ramifications should the threat become imminent.

 

Many believe Israel will do whatever it takes to eliminate an clear and present danger to its security. All options will be on the table, including the fail safe - Jericho Missiles. Israel has had these missiles since 1973, and many upgrades have since taken place. Currently, Israel has Jericho version 1, version 2 and now some version 3 units in place. Truthfully, many think that Israel has enough throw weight in these missiles to bomb Iran back into the stone ages, if she wanted to.

So where do we go from here? The once staunch ally of Israel now has become a paper tiger in the region. Israel really does not want to fight, just live in peace. However, that does not appear to be in the cards. If we have another repeat of the 1967 or 1973 wars, the outcome might not be as swift. In every war, Israel fights for its very existence. The next war will be no exception.

What can we do? First off, stop being isolationists. We need to tell the region that we stand with Israel. We believe in Israel's right to exist. We will look at any attack on Israel the same way as an attack on the United States. We need to tell Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that either he stops his nuclear program immediately, or we will stop it for him. Period. We need to tell Syria that either they get destroy their chemical weapons, or we will do it for them. Period. We need to tell Hezbollah to cease firing missiles into Israel, or they will be dealing with us as well. Period.

With all the "bullying" laws being discussed in Congress these days, lets also talk about the Middle East bullies. Right now, Israel needs a real friend to help them deal with the bullies in a very tough neighborhood. I would like to think that friend is us.