Posted by
Soldier Dad on Friday, July 14, 2006 9:33:49 AM
Like many people, my initial reaction to Israel's military response to its kidnapped soldiers was skeptical. If the United States responded similarly every time a soldier was kidnapped in Iraq, there would be very little of the country left. There is a legitimate argument to be made, and one that civilized nations have made for centuries, for the value of proportionality and by any objective test, targetting civilian infrastructure like power plants, roads, airports, etc., with the substantial wrath of the IDF, opening the door to a humanitarian disaster and considerable collateral damage, is a disproportional response for the abduction of one or two soldiers.
But any fair-minded evaluation of the situation has to confront the fact that none of this is really about kidnapped soldiers. It is an understandable response to the years of assault and persecution that the nation of Israel has had to bear. Israel's historical record is certainly not spotless and shows the scars of misjudgments from time to time. Yet it has endured the near-constant barrage of missiles launched from the very territory that it surrendered a year ago. It has long lived with the constant threat, and often the very tangible reminder, of the deadly ideology that sits on all its doorsteps. And it cannot take a single step in the international community without facing the condemnation that accompanies relative power and that frequently shows signs of despicable prejudice.
The unfortunate Israeli soldiers who, if still alive, are in the hands of their archenemies were merely the proximate and not the absolute causes of this war. The real causes stretch back decades and span international borders deep to the heart of Iran. It is a war, like all wars, that must be handled with care and President Bush is right to urge restraint. Israel has the high ground in this conflict, but undue escalation could undermine that advantage in a hurry. But its grievances are valid and its injuries real. Appeasement might be the popular solution worldwide, but no one knows better than Israel how deadly its repercussions can truly be.