Israel Shouldn’t Ask Obama for “Permission”

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

Israel doesn’t trust the Obama Administration.  That is plain. Israel is right not to do so.

There is no love lost between Israel’s government and the Obama administration. 

Somehow, the Obama Administration seems to have the mistaken opinion that Israel is a satellite state of America.  It isn’t. 

When America’s government continues to fly  representatives of the US State Department and the Pentagon into Israel with dictatorial attitudes and demanding Israel do things the Obama way and even demanding that Israel ask permission from the Obama Administration before they mount a raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, you’d better believe the Israeli government is PO’ed.  In fact there are reports that Israel has filed a “demarche” with the US.  A demarche is a formal protest.  It is rare between “friends.”

Israel should not ask permission or even alert Washington when they execute the raid on Iran.  That is the nature of a secret operation.  You tell no one – period.  You certainly do not tell a government you don’t trust to keep the secret.

It has been a while since America has had such an amateurish foreign policy team.  They bring to mind the “gang who couldn’t shoot straight.”

Israel is well advised to stir as clear of the US State Department as it possibly can. The Department of Defense, under the Obama Administration, is not much better.

Israel is the only friend America has in the Middle East and Obama is losing that friend.  At times, it seems intentional.   One would think Obama is seeking to make it clear to the Islamic nations in the region that Israel is on its own. In more ways than one, Obama has made it obvious that he favors the Islamic nations over Israel. 

One look at the Islamic nations of the Middle East today and you quickly see the entire region is in flames – except for Israel. So much for Obama’s favor.

America’s extremely vocal President, early on in his term in office, made the decision to talk to Iran.  Apparently he had convinced himself that his oratorical skills would just melt the Iranians and he, Obama, would be the “Great Peacemaker” in the Middle East.  Well, that worked our just swell, didn’t it? 

One of the first things you learn on the playground of grade school is that you cannot negotiate with bullies.  You have to overpower them, one way, or the other.  Oftimes that means meeting violence with violence.  Reluctance to actually use violence against a bully will certainly guarantee one’s submission to the bully.  Having said that, it is interesting to note that Islam means “submission.” 

The on-going sabotage efforts by Israel’s Mossad and America’s various spy agencies, have had limited success.  It should be understood that those efforts are not going to bring Iran’s march toward acquiring a nuclear bomb to a halt.  At best those efforts will only slow the program.  But the threat remains and is, in fact, growing.

It is extremely difficult for Americans to accept that the recent American bellicosity framed as “warnings” to Iran by the Obama Administration are sincere.   If Americans don’t believe them, then how on earth can we expect the Iranians to believe them?  Even US government experts have been reported as opining that when the balloon goes up, they simply do not know how Obama will react.

Obama is quickly running out of options.  The threatened oil embargo now appears to be useless when sympathizing countries promise Iran they will make up the difference.  The string is about to run out for Obama and his promises.

The final option is a military strike to cripple or destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.  That strike will be carried out by the US, Israel, or both.

It would be wrong for America to stand on the sidelines and allow the destruction of Israel and maybe a few eastern European nations to boot – especially when it can be avoided.

America cannot afford to alienate Israel.  We need Israel just as they need us.

J. D. Longstreet