It’s All Talk

By Jim Fletcher

The Arab capacity for self-deception and disingenuousness in dealing with foreign diplomats is legendary. In all the pan-Arab nation’s horrific losses to Israel in the past 60 years, a hallmark of those defeats is an unwillingness to confront reality: i.e., “We lost.”

Jordan’s King Abdullah grew up listening to stories about his grandfather’s murder outside the Al-Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem. The old Hashemite king was gunned-down by radicals who opposed his foray into reality, as he sought dialogue with the Jews. Had he lived, the region might have been spared a ghastly orgy of murder.

The monarch was one of the few who understood that true peace involved genuine commitment. He stood alone. Cousins who were collaborators with the Nazis, subsequent tin-horn dictators, and smooth-talking negotiators who employ double-speak (such as the fellow from Jericho, Saeb Erekat) have all sought to blame Israel first, last, and in-between.

So when Israel’s current Army Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi says that dialogue with Iran to stand-down from employing nuclear weapons is a viable option, he knows he is not dealing with a truly moderate Jordanian. He and his country are dealing with a true pack of sociopaths who are bent on bringing in the Apocalypse.

So why say it? Why try and initiate any kind of dialogue? This is just one man’s opinion, but I suspect there are a couple reasons.

First, annoying as it is, Israel has always had to fight its wars with at least one hand tied behind its back. That hand is the fist of international diplomacy, a chronic illness that has coddled serial-killer dictators for decades.

An element of this engagement by Israel is the harm done by “useful idiots” — those Western personalities who live in a dream world. They know that, say, Syria’s Bashar Assad is every bit the thug his father was, but still there are overtures to Syria, a seat on the Security Council (surely one of the biggest jokes of all time), and promises of economic and even military aid.

So Israel must play the game to a degree. Skilled orators such as Abba Eban and Benjamin Netanyahu have been able to present Israel’s case to the world, but too often the fatal disease of Jew-hatred has overcome those efforts. At the end of the day, Israel still must try and explain to the world that its long campaign to confront totalitarian leaders is justified on several fronts.

The second thing is, reaching out that free hand in diplomatic efforts enables Israel to distract her enemies from seeing the foot of the Israel Defense Forces swing upward with a deadly kick. The IDF has done more to preserve Israel than all the high-level State Department and Oval Office meetings combined.

Ashkenazi well understands the capabilities of the IDF. He is tough and experienced and wise. He knows the Iranians won’t back down from their homicidal goals. They’ve said loud and clear all over the world that they hope to destroy the Jewish state.

Two things give me comfort, in this order: God is real, alive, and in total control. The God of the Bible, I mean.

Secondly, the IDF is the most innovative, flexible, and fiercest fighting machine the Middle East has ever seen. Whether on the battlefield or in the command centers, Israel’s soldiers routinely outthink, outfight, and prevail over their enemies, all of whom have the advantage of more men. They also enjoy the cult-like worship of the international community.

Another key thing to remember about Israel and war is that an enemy cannot defeat the Jewish state without controlling the ground. If you visit, you’ll see what I mean.

The biblical heartland is not the Rockies, but it is a series of mountains that are steep and rocky. They aren’t gentle rolling hills. The terrain alone affords Israel a natural defense, and this has been understood by all Jewish leaders from Joshua to Sharon. If a modern-day army cannot get in there and control this ground with infantry and tanks, Israel can fight on forever.

This is why it is critical that Israel not give up the “West Bank.”

Another key thing to remember, and this is the most important: According to the Bible, Israel cannot lose.

This truth is literally a joke to the smooth, sophisticated international community. Most of the world does not believe the Bible is true. But if it is, God has promised that in the last days, He will fight for Israel as in the days of old. One has only to read the accounts of Israel’s modern wars — from the miraculous War of Independence in 1948 (a few planes and antiquated equipment in the hands of the Jews held off the Goliath of numerous armies) to today’s war on terror, Israel doesn’t lose. Even with incompetent leadership, such as in the 2006 incursion into Lebanon, Israel has not lost territory, and is not in immediate danger.

All these factors convince me that even the evil of international diplomacy cannot defeat Israel. Ashkenazi knows that while the diplomats blather on, and Shimon Peres is good at this, the IDF has drawn-up several workable battle plans. There is considerable pressure on Israel “not to go it alone” in confronting Iran militarily. This is a hallmark of the virus known as diplomacy.

Yet when Israel sends her sons to knock out Iran’s nuclear capability, the world will posture and rage. And be grateful. Because let’s be honest: Israel’s neighbors and even many members of the United Nations will privately be relieved that Israel has done the heavy lifting…again. We’ve seen this pattern develop since 1948. Israel’s independence gave the West, and in particular the United States, an unbeatable outpost in the world’s most volatile region.

If you drive a car, you can thank Israel. Our oil supplies from the Middle East would long ago have been in Russian hands had the Jews not been there to thwart them at every turn.

In 1956 and 1967, Israel confronted the Arabs who wanted to control shipping. In 1973, they repelled a deadly twin attack from Egypt and Syria. In 1981, they took out Saddam Hussein’s almost-erotic fantasy, the nuclear reactor at Osirik. In 1982-83, they took on the terror nest the PLO had set up in Lebanon. In 1990-91, they coordinated intelligence gathering that enabled the U.S.-led coalition to keep Saddam from grabbing Saudi oilfields.

And today — trust me on this — Israeli intelligence keeps all of us safer by penetrating and crippling continual attempts by Al Qaida and other psychos to bring the West to its knees.

So for all the talk of talking Iran out of committing mass murder, it will come down to a meeting between Israel’s prime minister and his Cabinet and military advisors. It will come down to Israeli pilots climbing into cockpits and heading East. Bibi Netanyahu knows this. Gabi Ashkenazi knows this.

The rest of us — including our weak-kneed president and his Keystone Cops State Department — should thank God that He has preserved His people for such a time as this.

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