Israel Strategizes Airstrikes on Iran
Photo Courtesy of IMEMC.ORG
It should come as no surprise that right wing Republicans are not the only crowd crying out for military action against Iran. Last month from Riyadh, it was made public when Saudi Arabian jet fighters cleared their airspace to allow the free passage of Israeli fighter planes running a mock airstrike on Iran. Though the Saudi’s later denied the clearance orders, one US diplomat claimed the Saudi military has fully agreed to keep their jets grounded once Israeli fighters have entered their airspace. “The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over – and they will look the other way,” a US military source in the region confirmed.
This act of alliance doesn’t stop with the Saudi’s, however, as other nations in the region are in line with Israel’s endeavors against Iran. Until the recent unrest sparked by aid flotillas en route to Palestinians living in Gaza, even Turkey had pretended to be unaware of Israeli jet fighters flying in their airspace. Though, the Turk’s sudden restrictions set on the Israeli Air Force may be a bit too late, as the latter have already used that permissive window of time to amass squadrons of fighter planes just north of the Turkish border in Georgia.
With the conservatives in the house and senate begging our government to attack Iran, an American “blind-eye” turned from the threat of an Israeli attack would not come as much of a shock. And any counter attack would only invite retaliation from the armadas of US ships currently occupying the Black Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf. In their folly, Republicans have publically backed the Iranian “Green” movement – the insurgence of an anti-theocracy, pro-democracy portion of the Iranian population which would be acceptable if they would simply agree to backing the movement vocally. Of course, the right wingers would rather send American troops as a show of support, as their blinders of arrogance continuously shield all common sense. Many military and diplomatic strategists have warned war-mongering conservatives like John McCain that any involvement in that movement may backfire, and may actually push many “Green” supporters back into supporting their government against western influences. It’s largely understood that a logical rebuttal against the American right-wing equates to arguing with a wall, however.
The Washington Institute for Near Policy (WINEP), a think-tank closely tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) issued a letter this year in which Bush’s former national security adviser Stephen Hadley and Israeli Brigadier General Michael Herzog wrote, “By the first quarter of 2011, we will know whether [Iranian] sanctions are proving effective… The administration should begin to plan now for a course of action should sanctions be deemed ineffective by the first or second quarter of next year. The military option must be kept on the table both as a means of strengthening diplomacy and as a worst-case scenario.” Of course, only arrogance could ever play into the notion that military might strengthens diplomacy, considering a multitude of historic examples proves the opposite – Attack a country and watch all of the people who normally root on the underdog come out to join their resistance. In fact, America is notorious for defending the defenseless, why would we expect other countries to act differently? But it doesn’t stop the likes of William Kristol in his “Weekly Standard” where last month he argued, “Unfortunately, President Obama waffled while innocent Iranians were killed by their own government.” – Again, a half-witted bag of testosterone blinded by pride and arrogance but wielding a giant pen. Fortunately for all of us, Obama is the one keeping Israel’s itch scratched – or at least salved. We do not need more enemies which we’ll surely create by instigating another invasion, nor do we have the resources to afford it. Not to mention – the people are already building their own resistance, and instead of disrupting that by flexing muscles in their faces, why not let them fight their own battles, and earn their own democracy, their own peace?
