Observation: American Forces Protecting Israel Present The Iron Dome Dilemma
On Steroids
Dr. Aaron Lerner 17 October 2023

When Israel deployed the Iron Dome interceptors, we had the choice of either
exploiting the protection it afforded to our civilian population to be more
aggressive in our operations inside the Gaza Strip, or postponing dealing
with the Gaza Strip since the Iron Dome protection made the civilian
population complacent.

Israel's leadership opted to kick the can down the road, embracing "quiet
for quiet" - a phrase that may very well go down in modern Jewish history as
one of the most catastrophic policies ever adopted.

I would note that all the preparations carried out by Hamas in broad
daylight for the disastrous October 7th were in compliance with "quiet for
quiet", as were the hundreds of thousands of rockets introduced into
Lebanon, including those upgraded into guided missiles by Hezbollah. Because
under "quiet for quiet" the enemy can do literally anything except pull the
trigger. Classic "hudna".

The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and other forces, now deployed
off the coast, represent the Iron Dome dilemma on steroids.

#1 Those carrier groups aren't going to be here forever.

#2 Those carrier groups aren't Israeli - so instead of possibly deterring
our enemies by showing how advanced our military technologies are (Iron
Dome) we are showing our enemies how profoundly weak we are that we hide
behind America.

Today, we face a decision that could literally seal the Jewish State's fate:

We can either destroy Hezbollah's long and medium-range missiles immediately
(there aren't any of the delaying complications in Lebanon that we have in
the Gaza Strip) - angering the Americans while we still enjoy the deterrent
effect of the American presence. The move both clears the way for a
campaign in the Gaza Strip which is not encumbered by concerns of
retribution from third parties and removes the key deterrent Iran has
against an Israeli operation against their nuclear threat.

Or we can play out the clock, do nothing in the North, and ultimately carry
out some operation in the Gaza Strip, which is halted by a ceasefire,
leaving us seen as a weak, inconsequential, TEMPORARY presence in the Middle
East.

Let's be clear: President Biden, his team, and many in his party will be
furious if we don't go quietly into the night.

But Mr. Biden, no matter how angry he is, won't order the USS Gerald R. Ford
Carrier Strike Group to pull out to leave the Jewish State to its own
defenses.

It's not a question of morality. It's realpolitik.

The rest of the world, including the Sunni states, is watching to see if the
United States of America can be relied upon. If Mr. Biden abandons us no
explanation will change the conclusion that America can't be relied upon.

Now is the time for brave and decisive action, not rhetoric.
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IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis

Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on
Arab-Israeli relations

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