As Iran continues its nuclear weapons push, the Obama Administration continues to undermine its biggest ally and the only democracy in the region, the state of Israel. President Obama has had a rocky relationship at best with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Back in May 2010, President Obama walked out of a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu and did not return. Last fall, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Prime Minister Netanyahu a “liar” to President Obama on a hot mic and President Obama’s response was, “You’re tired of him; what about me? I have to deal with him every day.” President Obama’s curious distain for Prime Minister Netanyahu, especially in public, hurts not only the security of Israel but that of America as well.
Patrick Chappatte / International Herald Tribune (click to view more Iran cartoons)
Now, gaffe-prone Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has leaked to the Washington Post that Israel will most likely launch a preemptive attack on Iran in the coming months. I’m not a military strategist, but the Defense Secretary of the United States of America telegraphing a potential attack by our strongest ally in the Middle East seems to be either incompetent, stupid or a malicious attempt to undermine it. In a region of the world that is hostile to Israel’s very existence, how does it make any sense to undercut our ally’s fight for survival?
Israel has to continuously protect itself from rocket and suicidal attacks from Palestinian terrorist groups. With an unstable government in Egypt to its south, and Syria on the brink of a full blown civil war to its east, Israel is right in the middle of a hornet’s nest. Adding the threat of a nuclear Iran that has called for the eradication of Israel only heightens the dangers they face. It should be a top priority for the Obama Administration to do everything in its power to ensure the security of Israel and stop Iran from going nuclear.
President Obama has displayed a dangerous naiveté when it comes to the threat that Iran poses to our allies in the Middle East and to the United States itself. If Iran joins the club of nuclear nations it will be one of the biggest American foreign policy blunders ever to occur. We have watched this scene play out in the past with Neville Chamberlain and it led to a world war that cost 30 million lives. If Barack Obama repeats the same mistakes today and Iran gets nuclear weapons, how many will suffer?
A nuclear Iran could very well lead to an arms race in the Middle East that would destabilize an already volatile region and harm global security. We cannot assume the Iranian regime won’t follow through on their explicit threats against Israel and American interests and the likelihood that a nuclear device would land in the hands of an international terrorist organization would drastically increase because Iran is a state sponsor of terror. Iran’s brutal regime, led by the ayatollahs and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is at the center of the radical Islamic world and requires America’s fullest resolve and attention.
In the fall of 2010, Citizens United Productions produced a documentary that touched on Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and the threat of radical Islam. America at Risk, hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich, explains the roots of terrorism and the threats we still face. We are dealing with people for whom not even mutually assured destruction is a deterrent, as America At Risk cast member Bernard Lewis says, “it’s an inducement because that is what they’re hoping for.”
President Obama must act now and work with the Israeli government to thwart the Iranian threat. The next few months will be critical as this growing crisis continues to escalate. If a shooting war breaks out in the Middle East between Israel and Iran, all bets are off. President Obama needs to strongly back the state of Israel in its current struggle and show a position of strength. If he waivers, I fear the worst for both Israel and America’s security.
