This truth must be brought home to Israel which whilst constantly under attack by the so-called human rights lobby is also under threat as rarely before. Israel has at least a hundred thousand rockets aimed at it from Gaza, from Lebanon, from Syria and from Iran. And this is without counting the massive arsenals of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Were these all the enemy missile fired in a coordinated manner in a future war, it would be hard for Israel's planes to get off the ground to defend the country. Until now our arab and Iranian enemies have not managed to get their act together for a simultaneous attack other than in 1973, but the seriousness of the threats against Israel must not be underestimated.
"An
extraordinary amount of [enemy] ordnance covers every region of Israel,"
Gantz said. "Every region in Israel is currently under threat. Our
enemies are trying to create a military system that skips over Israel's
defense capabilities and directly targets the strategic depth of the
State of Israel."
Gaza and Lebanon are "two of the largest ammunition and weapon
'storage facilities' I know," he said, owned by Hizbullah, Islamic
Jihad, and other terror organizations. "The Middle East is currently
arming more than any other region in the world, and we are the target of all this ammunition."
According
to Lt. Gen. Gantz, aside from complex fronts our enemies are also
"planning attacks using high-tech rockets, portable systems such as
anti-tank missiles, and accurate, target-specific and long-distance
missiles. We saw this during the Second Lebanon War. Our Navy forces and
strategic posts in the Mediterranean Sea are also under threat."
The
enemy is mainly targeting the Israeli home front and civilian
population, "as an attempt to harm our operative capabilities."
If even a proportion of missiles are allowed to reach Israel in a future conflict it will severely disrupt Israel's very vulnerable economy and its populace which is mostly located on a narrow strip of land on the mediterranean coast. Not for nothing did ex Iranian president Rafsanjani say in 2001 that "Israel is a one bomb state." And an Israel mobilizing for war would also have to reckon with a restive arab minority of 1 1/2 millions and potential fifth column working to disrupt communications whilst the palestinian arab enemy with 25,000 trained soldiers under arms would attempt to cut Israel in two at its narrowest 10km wide point around Kalkiliya.
Israel is afraid to effectively deal with rockets coming from Gaza as anything other than an immediate and low intensity reply to a specific attack from Gaza results in accusations of 'disproportion' in Israel's response to arab aggression and to referrals to that arab and islamic bloc controlled organisation the UN. Israel is never supposed to take the war to its enemy. As we see with Sderot and other communities near to Gaza Israel allows its enemies to fire on it with little less than impunity. The world tolerates Israel bombing smuggling tunnels but little else. After hundreds of missiles were fired at Israel from Gaza earlier this year Israel's generals started to talk about it only being a matter of time before a 'Cast Lead II' would happen. Luckily this had the desired effect and Israel's bluff was not called. This Obama administration would most likely not tolerate another operation to suppress Hamas rocket fire from Gaza, just as it has given Israel the red light to bombing Iran's nuclear weapons program. Meanwhile Iran gets ever closer to being immune from any Israeli attack.
Israeli leaders, ex-Mossad, Shin Bet and army generals constantly tell us that Iran is a logical state, that they would never fire a nuclear tipped missile at Israel. This is incorrect, as not a week goes by without one or other of Iran's leaders threatening a new holocaust against Israel whilst denying that the Holocaust ever happened. A true sign of the intentions of those who hate jews and who wish us harm are those who deny the holocaust. They wish another chance to finish the job. It is now reported that Iran has enough uranium to make 5 nuclear bombs.
Israel must grasp the nettle and attack and destroy as much of Iran's weapons program before it's too late.
And if Israel has the capacity, which is not certain, it should not stop with the iranian weapons program, but with Iran's capacity to fund such a program and equip it. Major economic centers such as power stations and oil installations must be destroyed. The further back into the stone age Iran will find itself, the longer it will take before it rises again to threaten the tiny peaceful country of Israel, surrounded as it is by enemies who conspire to destroy it.
In 1932 before Hitler's rise to power British PM Stanley Balwin said:
I think it is well also for the man in the street to realise that there is no power on earth that can protect him from being bombed. Whatever people may tell him, the bomber will always get through..... The only defence is in offence, which means that you will have to kill more women and children more quickly than the enemy if you want to save yourselves.
In WWII the USA and Britain sent thousands of bombers over Germany every day to carry out this prescription, to kill civilians and thus undermine the nazi enemy.
If the arabs and Iran knew the results of their attempts to anihilate the jewish state were to bring death and destruction down on them in equal and greater measure they would think twice about attempting to destroy Israel.
Israel must realise that no Iron Dome or Arrow system can save it from the many thousands of missiles aimed at it. Only if the enemy knows that it will suffer an extremely harsh response will the enemy be given cause to pause.
It is time for Israel to do as France's Jacques Chirac did in 2006 when he threatened that France would
annihilate any country using terror against it. France has never renounced that policy. Israel can also let it be known in not so many words through diplomatic channels. Israel can let the enemy know that any future massive missile attack on Israel will risk incurring a devastating nuclear response. If Egypt takes part in any future conflict it should understand that the Aswan Dam will be destroyed, a devastating act which would take Egypt back into the primitive age which it already seems so keen on reverting back to.
Israel can not afford a war of attrition against so many enemies and so many munitions. Our enemies must realise that in a future war all options will be open to Israel.
But first of all, Israel must take away the threat of the Iranian bomb.