A Proportional Response?
17 July 2006Much has been said over the last few days about the need for Israel to have a proportional response to Hezbollah. It is said that they are overreacting by going into Lebanon and destroying civilian infrastructure. It is further claimed that doing this is creating the next generation of enemies for Israel. Indeed, the Vatican has as much as said that Israel has no right to take any action whatsoever! So what action could Israel take that would be appropriate?
The above arguments exist in a vacuum. What is proportional depends on what you think Israel is responding to. If the abduction of a soldiers was the only act in play, it might safely be argued that Israel’s response was over the top. But the reality is much different. The abducted soldiers are the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
For almost 60 years Israel has lived with war or the threat of armed attacks. There has been no time in modern Israel’s history that she has lived in actual peace. The threat of war has hung over her since 1948. During much of those years there have been sporadic attacks across the border with Lebanon or from the area known as Palestine. Palestinians and radical Islamists have consistently sought to damage and ultimately destroy Israel. Taken in this broader context it does not appear to me that Israel’s response is disproportionate. Indeed, Israel’s efforts to avoid civilian casualties strikes me as very restrained.
Israel is well aware, as is the rest of the world, that recent events have been instigated, not by Lebanon but by Syria and Iran. Hezbollah would never have the resources it has independent of sponsors in terrorist states. Indeed, Hezbollah is merely a surrogate for Iran. Iran cannot effectively attack Israel directly and even if it could, the price would be too high in terms of world opinion. Iran, therefore, uses Hezbollah to act on its behalf. Iran supplies the money, the arms and anything else Hezbollah needs to carry out these attacks.
Lebanon is not without guilt in of all this. While not a direct threat to Israel, Lebanon has allowed Hezbollah to grow and flourish along its southern border. In 2004 the UN adopted resolution 1559 which called for free elections in Lebanon independent of Syrian influence and for the disbanding of all militias in Lebanon. Clearly Hezbollah violates resolution 1559 by its very existence and the support it receives from Syria is a further violation. Hezbollah is not simply a militia. It is involved in the very halls of government in Lebanon. It has its own television outlets and it exerts much influence throughout the area. To its detriment Lebanon has allowed this cancer within her borders to grow and fester and it now threatens Lebanon’s existence.
Syria and Iran have both issued threats that if Israel brings them into this conflict it will be very painful to Israel. I have no doubt these threats are genuine. They are made because of the involvement already of these two states in the events thus far. Yet what choice does Israel have? Iran fomented the current crisis and has demonstrated its desire and commitment to destroying Israel Should Israel wait until Iran has a nuclear weapon? Does anyone doubt Iran will use such weapons against Israel once acquired? I don’t see how Israel can avoid taking on both Syria and Iran. To do otherwise would be to invite her own destruction.
Israel has shown extraordinary restraint over the decades. With every attack inside her borders Israel has done little more than necessary to stop the attacks. Israel has never shown expansionist tendencies or demonstrated itself to be a threat to her neighbors. Indeed, Israel has worked tirelessly to live in peace. After two generations of war her citizens are not interested in pursuing conflict. Israel has made deal after deal, culminating with giving up the Gaza strip. Israel left Lebanon with the understanding that Lebanon would not allow threats to grow there. Yet every step Israel has made in the name of peace has been met with threats of violence and actual violence.
Knowing all this I find it difficult to fault Israel’s response or call it disproportionate. Israel has a right to exist and a right to defend herself. Indeed, the government would be remiss to do anything other than what it is doing. Were I in charge of the Israeli government I’d say to hell with what the rest of the world thinks. If I could get support, I would. But with or without support I’d do everything in my power to defend my country. How can we expect anything less?
Update: Michelle Malkin references a great political cartoon from Cox and Forkum that aptly represents the whole “proportionate response” mantra on the left. You should enjoy it!
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