Against – Miki Aharonson
Israel should not respond with direct and immediate military action to the Iranian attack, simply because Israel lacks American backing for such a response. Practically speaking, the Iranians have struck hard enough to placate their extremists without causing significant damage to Israel. The main impact on Israel is the panic Iran has instilled with its threats and the disruption of civilian life.
We have learned three important things from the Iranian attack: the great importance of our excellent air force; the critical value of our excellent defense systems; and our strategic dependence on the United States.
As mentioned, the U.S. has stated it will not support military action against Iran at this time. President Joe Biden supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Iranian attacks on military targets. But how can we attack Iran contrary to American opinion?
We have plenty of “heroes” among us who say we should respond, even without American consent. They forget that we wouldn’t have survived the night of the attack so well without American assistance, which, among other things, shut down electronic defense systems in certain areas to hinder the attack. The West (and other regional states) have made it clear they don’t want regional escalation, which could lead, among other things, to the resurgence of China and Russia. And in general, any action not backed by American support could lead to a darker situation than October 7th.
If there had been American support for an Israeli response to the attack, there might have been advantages, like the opportunity to neutralize or delay the overall Iranian threat. But there’s no room for that discussion without American backing at all.
It’s also important to remember that we eliminated the third-ranked official in the Al-Quds Forces; the Iranian attack wasn’t carried out in an empty space. Now let them stew, as they did to us. We can be patient and promise a significant response. And we must. But there’s no planning for direct and immediate military action like this without American backing.
Regarding this crucial support — one day we’ll need to examine and research how Israel reached such a level of dependence on the U.S. This involves dependence on armament, logistics, military backup, and diplomacy. There’s a call in the U.S., for example, to examine actions where American weapons were used in Gaza.
Bottom line: anyone who says we can respond without American support is either delusional or doesn’t understand the price we’ll pay. Once the Iranians apply pressure and the timing aligns with our interests, Israel will have the opportunity to act judiciously, utilizing strategies beyond direct military strikes to inflict damage and restore Israel’s deterrent capability.
In Favor – Danny Van Buren
Israel must respond!
In 1991, the United States attacked Iraq in what became known as the Gulf War. The U.S. and its coalition partners struck after Saddam Hussein’s Iraq invaded Kuwait. George H.W. Bush’s Americans didn’t threaten. They attacked. They asked Israel’s Shamir to remain silent so they could build an international coalition: ‘You stay quiet and we’ll do the job.’
Thirty-three years later, America’s most important ally stands in this part of the world facing a barrage of missiles and threats from Iran’s murderous regime, threatening global peace.
It could have been expected that the U.S. would stand by Israel not only in defense but also in attacking the global axis of evil. One could have hoped that the U.S. would form an international coalition to attack Iran and establish a new world order. But Joe Biden’s American message is not Bush’s. The message now is ‘Stay quiet and don’t make a mess.’ We cannot underestimate the importance of the alliance with the Americans. It’s critical for our security and our relationships with other countries worldwide.
Unfortunately, it seems that the current American administration continues to exert its influence and wag the ‘Don’t’ finger towards Israel as if it were the aggressor in need of reprimanding. Israel has a historic opportunity to make Iran pay the price for its long years of aggression against us and not only to hurt its murderous tentacles but also to strike at the soft Iranian belly. In a perfect world, Western countries would have participated in a response as is proper diplomatically, morally, and security-wise.
If they prefer to abstain, then for the sake of our very existence we must do it ourselves and thus restore deterrence and our position in the region and the world.