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Should Israel Attack Iran First?

Reader comment on item: Obama and Netanyahu Meet: What's Next?

Submitted by Ron Gerskup (Canada), May 18, 2009 at 01:10

Every war Israel has fought has been a defensive war. This is a tactic. If Israel were provocative, world opinion would go against Israel. So Israel has always counterattacked and taken casualties as a cost of getting world opinion on its side. With the Obama Administration, this is truer than ever.

Once Iran gets nuclear weapons, Israel can no longer fight a defensive war. Because of its lack of size, that first attack could be fatal, and the number of casualties beyond justification for any reason. That means Israel MUST attack first or stand a high risk of obliteration. For once, world opinion can not be a reason for waiting to be attacked first. It would be suicide. But Israel needs world opinion on its side. So the problem is, how does Israel get this world opinion, yet still attack first before Iran has nuclear weapons?

How to do this? Greater minds than mine must figure it out. But I truly believe Israel's survival is in the hands of these minds. What is the answer? Anyone have ideas?


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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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