Ponce
2nd May 2010, 06:13 PM
The Tripod of Terror
Nuclear Iran may destroy Israel without ever having to press button
Benji Davis
Published: 05.03.10, 01:00 / Israel Opinion
The Obama White House has placed proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority at the head of its Middle East Policy, believing successful negotiations will lead to a positive domino effect on the rest of the region.
But any future agreement between Netanyahu and Abbas would do nothing to bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians, or reconcile the differences between the West and Islamist extremists. Even with the establishment of a Palestinian state, the Tripod of Terror - Iran, and its terror proxies Hamas and Hezbollah – has the power to prevent any transition towards a quiet state of affairs in the Levant.
Hamas has replenished its rocket supply to pre Operation Cast Lead numbers. The terror group has also upgraded its rocket capability – with one switch of a button, rockets could fall in Tel Aviv.
Hezbollah in Lebanon, with 40,000 Ayatollah-sponsored rockets pointed at Israel and thousands of Ayatollah-trained militants bunkered up, is ready for the next go-around with its Jewish neighbors at the blink of an eye.
And according to American intelligence agencies, Iran has created enough nuclear fuel to make a “rapid sprint†for the bomb. Considering Iranian leaders' constant call for Israel’s destruction and their subscription to an apocalyptic version of Islam (where chaos and violence act as a mechanism towards bringing about a messianic world), no one should doubt the Islamic Republic’s willingness to use the bomb.
End of Zionist dream
But no pundit or leader, even from the Israeli position, has consistently emphasized how the Tripod of Terror could “wipe Israel off the map†without ever having to press the button…here’s how:
Firstly – lead to the end of the peace process. If an Arab partner ever wanted to pursue negotiations with Israel, they would not be able to make any concessions or compromises to the Jewish State without first considering the consequences of their actions vis-Ã*-vis the Islamic Republic. Iran with nuclear weapons would potentially compel both Jordan and Egypt to repeal their peace treaties with Israel, which would raise the danger of a war in the Levant to an all-time high. With the Tripod of Terror bullying Amman and Cairo, they may even be pushed to invade Israel if regional war broke out.
Secondly – limit Israel's military options. The Jewish state would no longer enjoy the deterrence it currently possesses against its Islamist neighbors in Lebanon and Gaza. Iran with a nuclear capability could provide Hamas and Hezbollah with longer-range and deadlier rockets than their current stocks of Katyushas and Qassams, while not having to fear Israeli retaliation. With the Iranian nuclear threat hanging over its head, Israel would have little defense against intensifying rocket fire on its northern and southern periphery, and as a result its residents would be forced to flee to the center.
Thirdly – weaken Israel's economy to a point of no return. In a 2007 poll, 27% of Israelis said they would leave Israel if Iran achieved nuclear know-how. It would be no surprise to see foreign investors and Israel’s elite – entrepreneurs, high tech officials, businessman, intelligencia, doctors, lawyers, and academics – flee the country.
And with a quarter of the country fleeing to the Diaspora, a nuclear Iran would bring about the end of the Zionist dream – as Jews flee their historic homeland for refuge abroad.
Instead of condemning Mr. Netanyahu for his government’s housing policy in Jerusalem, a White House committed to Middle East Peace would concentrate on stopping Iranian funding and training of terror groups targeting Israeli and western targets, implement crippling sanctions on Iran through a “coalition of the willing,†and urge the “moderates†in Ramallah to end incitement of their youth to hate Jews.
The Obama Administration needs to realize the main impediment to peace is not Israel, but the existential threats posed by the dangerous trio of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. And if this Tripod of Terror became nuclear, they may achieve their goal of destroying the Jewish state without ever having to press the button.
Nuclear Iran may destroy Israel without ever having to press button
Benji Davis
Published: 05.03.10, 01:00 / Israel Opinion
The Obama White House has placed proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority at the head of its Middle East Policy, believing successful negotiations will lead to a positive domino effect on the rest of the region.
But any future agreement between Netanyahu and Abbas would do nothing to bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians, or reconcile the differences between the West and Islamist extremists. Even with the establishment of a Palestinian state, the Tripod of Terror - Iran, and its terror proxies Hamas and Hezbollah – has the power to prevent any transition towards a quiet state of affairs in the Levant.
Hamas has replenished its rocket supply to pre Operation Cast Lead numbers. The terror group has also upgraded its rocket capability – with one switch of a button, rockets could fall in Tel Aviv.
Hezbollah in Lebanon, with 40,000 Ayatollah-sponsored rockets pointed at Israel and thousands of Ayatollah-trained militants bunkered up, is ready for the next go-around with its Jewish neighbors at the blink of an eye.
And according to American intelligence agencies, Iran has created enough nuclear fuel to make a “rapid sprint†for the bomb. Considering Iranian leaders' constant call for Israel’s destruction and their subscription to an apocalyptic version of Islam (where chaos and violence act as a mechanism towards bringing about a messianic world), no one should doubt the Islamic Republic’s willingness to use the bomb.
End of Zionist dream
But no pundit or leader, even from the Israeli position, has consistently emphasized how the Tripod of Terror could “wipe Israel off the map†without ever having to press the button…here’s how:
Firstly – lead to the end of the peace process. If an Arab partner ever wanted to pursue negotiations with Israel, they would not be able to make any concessions or compromises to the Jewish State without first considering the consequences of their actions vis-Ã*-vis the Islamic Republic. Iran with nuclear weapons would potentially compel both Jordan and Egypt to repeal their peace treaties with Israel, which would raise the danger of a war in the Levant to an all-time high. With the Tripod of Terror bullying Amman and Cairo, they may even be pushed to invade Israel if regional war broke out.
Secondly – limit Israel's military options. The Jewish state would no longer enjoy the deterrence it currently possesses against its Islamist neighbors in Lebanon and Gaza. Iran with a nuclear capability could provide Hamas and Hezbollah with longer-range and deadlier rockets than their current stocks of Katyushas and Qassams, while not having to fear Israeli retaliation. With the Iranian nuclear threat hanging over its head, Israel would have little defense against intensifying rocket fire on its northern and southern periphery, and as a result its residents would be forced to flee to the center.
Thirdly – weaken Israel's economy to a point of no return. In a 2007 poll, 27% of Israelis said they would leave Israel if Iran achieved nuclear know-how. It would be no surprise to see foreign investors and Israel’s elite – entrepreneurs, high tech officials, businessman, intelligencia, doctors, lawyers, and academics – flee the country.
And with a quarter of the country fleeing to the Diaspora, a nuclear Iran would bring about the end of the Zionist dream – as Jews flee their historic homeland for refuge abroad.
Instead of condemning Mr. Netanyahu for his government’s housing policy in Jerusalem, a White House committed to Middle East Peace would concentrate on stopping Iranian funding and training of terror groups targeting Israeli and western targets, implement crippling sanctions on Iran through a “coalition of the willing,†and urge the “moderates†in Ramallah to end incitement of their youth to hate Jews.
The Obama Administration needs to realize the main impediment to peace is not Israel, but the existential threats posed by the dangerous trio of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. And if this Tripod of Terror became nuclear, they may achieve their goal of destroying the Jewish state without ever having to press the button.