Military Restraint, But at What Cost?

We all know that the Israeli military is in a tough situation. The Israeli people are threatened or attacked daily, but the Israeli Defense Forces often ignore. This is a necessary diplomatic strategy in certain situations, but at what cost?

First, lets take a look at threats against Israel. Muslim leaders threaten Israel almost daily. Some threats are famous, such as those made by Iran or Hezbollah. Some threats are not, such as those made by local clerics in Egypt or even London. Either way, we must look at the validity of the threat and determine if it is viable.

Threats made by active enemies of Israel should be taken seriously and responded to. Hezbollah, for example, went to war with Israel last summer. While this is easy to forget, they could attack again at any moment. Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has issued an open threat to attack Israel, and the IDF must be prepared on the northern boarder for an attack at any moment. In these cases, Israel must wait prepared for an attack, rather than be pro-active.

Threats from Iran must be taken seriously as well. Iran is building nuclear bombs and has threatened to wipe Israel off the map. This threat must be dealt with swiftly and quickly. Israeli intelligence needs to find the nuclear refinement locations and use bunker bombs to destroy them.

Verbal threats by small leaders are not so threatening in the short term. In these cases, Israel must work through Hasbara, or public perception advocacy, to keep the world on the same team. Extreme Muslims will always hate Israel, but all will not attack. This is why Israel needs to keep strong borders and good intelligence. That will keep Israel safe from the outside world.

Direct attacks, such as those by Hamas, need to be responded to. Rocket fire on Sderot went on for too long before the IDF launched counter strikes. Israel must continue to act against terrorists and their supporters through targeted attacks and terrorist assassinations. Once someone declares war and acts on it, they cannot expect anything other than a military response. No one spoke against United States actions in Afghanistan, and no one has a right to speak against Israeli actions in Gaza.

It is a difficult diplomatic world, and Israel is in a tough spot. With so many critics, Israel must step carefully; however, if someone attacks the Jewish people, there is only one response: fighting back. Israel cannot bear the cost of not responding. Too many lives have already been lost.