Israel Should Strike Iran

9 August 2004

            The time has come for Israel to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities and put an end to their foray into nuclear arms production. If I were the one making the plans for the strike, I would opt to use a nuclear weapon against their facilities. Having made such strong statements it follows I should justify my position. The rest of this article will be dedicated to that purpose.

            The first reason I believe Israel should strike is because of Prime Minister Menachem Begin’s decision to attack the Osirak nuclear plant’s weapons capability in 1983. This was in effect the establishment of an Israeli Monroe Doctrine against nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. The thing about the establishment of such doctrines is that they must be adhered to and enforced as they are challenged in the future.

            The second reason that the time has come to act is Israel warned that it was prepared to take unilateral military action against Iran a year ago if the international community failed to stop the development of nuclear weapons at that country’s atomic energy facilities. Since then the intelligence community has continued to produce evidence that Iran has and is hiding a nuclear weapons program.  Further delay encourages other Islamic states to get into the nuclear business even as it allows Tehran to get ready to attack Israel.

            My third reason for thinking now is the time for Israel to act is the lesson of history. Had Begin not made his courageous decision in 83, the United States would have likely faced an Iraq armed with nuclear weapons in 1991. The first President Bush benefited from the actions of Israel, though at the time, as Vice President under Reagan, he thought Israel should be rebuked for what they had done. Today it appears highly likely that the second President Bush will have to subdue Iran and its support for terrorism in order to win the war against the Islamic extremists, their brethren in common hatred.

            A fourth reason that Israel should handle the job is the fact that international law condemns attacks against a nation’s territorial integrity or political independence. Israel has already demonstrated repeatedly that it is not interested in disrupting its neighbors’ control over either if it can avoid it. But in order to safeguard the people of Israel, more than one Prime Minister, representing different governmental coalitions, have carried out the mandate to provide for the common defense and safeguard the general welfare. Two actions in this regard have become legendary. The first was the raid at Entebbe, and the second was of course the attack on Iraq’s nuclear capability. Other actions have been less noticeable such as Israel’s promise to Egypt not to attack and destroy the Aswan Dam. If Israel were to act it could be argued as being analogous to a limited humanitarian intervention in the public forum.

            My fifth and final point in this discussion goes to the issue of the values asserted by Israel, and this is the reason I believe that she should use an atomic device to accomplish the destruction of Iran’s nuclear capability. No more fundamentally important reason can be offered for a preemptive action than the preservation of the lives of the inhabitants of the State. When Iraq has nuclear weapons capability, the existence of little Israel will be in jeopardy. We know they are advancing in technology and they are obtaining delivery systems from China, whose missile guidance systems are much improved thanks to Bill Clinton. The Arab world is unconcerned about human lives outside of their own tribal groups, which stands in stark contrast to the moral and ethical values of Israel. Therefore the Arab world needs a lesson in the destructive power of an atomic weapon to serve as a preventive inoculation against the disease of mind that tempts them to acquire and use atom bombs against others. Currently the world knows Israel has atomic weapons but there is doubt that the Jews will use them even to preserve themselves. This doubt needs to be dispelled in order to save both Jewish and Arab lives in the future. I am as convinced such an act would serve the best interests of the world, not the United Nations, as I am convinced that they will not use nuclear power in such an attack. But it is time to either strike Iran or regret delay. Else they will surely strike Israel.