Now that the demand to delist Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a recognized terrorist entity has been judiciously countered, it's imperative to promptly shift our attention to an equally dangerous remaining threat being discussed in Vienna. Its unrecognized consequences may be so internationally destabilizing that too many in positions of power seem to overlook its urgency.
Make no mistake about it, parallel circumstances exist between the well-equipped, estimated 100,000+ Russian soldiers, that were gradually stationed around Ukraine, until it effectively encircled it; and the present-day estimate of 100,000+ lethal, highly sophisticated, and potentially nuclear payload capable, missiles stationed in Lebanon above Israel’s northern frontier.
At the same time, lesser sophisticated, yet still deadly rockets are presumed restored within the Gaza Strip, on Israel’s southern frontier. All the while, Iran is alleged to have enhanced infrastructure within Syria, Iraq, Judea, Samaria and Yemen; each within missile-firing range of Israel’s eastern frontier. Barring the Mediterranean Sea western border, hostile launch sites appear to encircle Israel; posing a legitimate “existential” concern.
As we await the outcome of the Vienna discussion’s “Iranian Demand for Sanction Relief” aspect; and unless it is handled like the terrorist delisting issue, pivotal consequences will little doubt not only threaten Israel, but eventually the US, as well.
It is theoretically feasible, if sanction relief is granted, that in only a brief period of time Iran will be flush with consequential cash (perhaps with as much as a $90 billion instant influx seemingly without oversight and restrictions of use) and then be fiscally capable of implementing its spoken threat for Israel’s demise by unleashing a coordinated land, sea and air attack.
If so, what can we expect Israel’s ally, the US, to do? Would it be more than what it has done for Ukraine – simply offering cash and supplies to tide it over?
PRESIDENT JOE Biden may have unintentionally set a precedent through his dealings with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin that might carry over to Israel, should Iran, God forbid, attack Israel. If so, is Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s stated commitment to guarantee Israel that Iran will never acquire nuclear weapons, worthless?
Having endured unfair tragedies that were thrust upon Jews throughout the ages, at the end of the day, will we find ourselves regarded as “suckers?” I sincerely hope not, as the fates of both great nations are tied at the hip.
Has the above potential of an air missile/drone adversarial action combined with a coordinated land and naval threat, ever been considered by President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken as a legitimate risk of the Iranian “sanctions relief” demand; if not, why not? I cannot imagine the president and secretary Blinken forgetting the Afghanistan debacle.
In all fairness, Israel has earned the right to never let its guard down. and for its own good must repeatedly assess the reliability of President Biden’s sincerity and understood commitments. The existential threats, including the ones stemming from sanction relief, cannot be counted upon to disappear of their own accord.
Jewish history, as recently recounted in the Book of Esther, poses a series of all too familiar threats. Purim (lots), commemorates the saving of Jews from Haman, an evil “Achaemenid Persian empire official,” who covertly planned to exterminate all the Jews within Persia (subsequently, to become Iran).
Were it not for Esther – the wife of the Persian king who became a reluctant heroine, ultimately choosing to risk her life to save fellow Jews from the king’s adviser, Haman – who would have stood against the evil one?
Are there equivalents of Esther to stand against those who issued threats from within Iran of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America?” Once again, our fates are indeed tied to each other, even if President Biden closes his eyes and ears to this.
Jews - having experienced the slaughter of some 1.5 million Jewish children, and 4.5 million Jewish adults in Europe in the late 1930s through the early ’40s – must by necessity keep in mind that the same evil that brought about the Holocaust appears to be almost as much present today as it was in the era that preceded it.
Jewish history teaches, “Lest we become too comfortable,” as warned on Passover and repeated yearly. “In every generation one will arise against us, to destroy us…” Are we wise enough to listen?
The writer is the author of the geopolitical thriller, First, the ‘Saturday People,’ and Then the …