That Common Pursuit

"I have full faith in President Obama's moral and operational stance. I recommend patience. I am confident that the United States will respond in the right way to Syria."
Israeli President Shimon Peres

Silence undoubtedly greeted that trusting response. But there's no accounting for all those Doubting Thomases and Thomasinas, is there? Official Israel, the real administrative end of it, would prefer the U.S. to strike while the iron remains heated with the disgust of chemical reaction. Israel is concerned for the diminishing credibility in their region of the United States. Will they or won't they? Are they prepared to proceed as threatened? Do they mean what they say?

After all, the United States the world's sole superpower has the authority of its presence, its reputation, its commitment to remaining in some measure the world's reliable judge-and-jury with the world's largest, most effective and best-equipped military to back up its judgement. However, should its credibility take any more hits in the region then the effectiveness of its (half-hearted) championing of Israel would be defrayed greatly. An issue that would impact most deleteriously on Israel.

Which can rely of course on its own reputation, its own vaunted military and strategic and intelligence capabilities. Once considered regionally invincible, though, it has since suffered a few set-backs. And while it countered the combined attacks of surrounding countries' militaries, a new element of proxy militias, better trained, more resilient, better equipped with modern technology has created a new situation to be faced.

As for American promises: Do they know what they mean? Does anyone? There are no easy answers, just as there are no easy solutions at hand. Harm the regime of Alawite Assad and what are you paving the way for other than a regime of Islamist terror which will enshrine within a sensitive area of the Middle East a far more totalitarian, bloody-minded regime than poor innocent and well-meaning Assad ever could manage. There are still, after all, some Sunni Syrians still alive and in good health.

If the Sunni Islamists were ever installed in power they would start with the annihilation of those offendingly heretic Shias that support al-Assad because they know the alternative, and polish off any of the Sunni Syrians who prefer to keep their country one of civility and liberty on its way to civil decency and even that disgusting credo, democracy. Then their restlessly baleful eyes would have them turn their excellent bomb-making skills to surrounding nations and why stop there?

Housing Minister Uri Ariel unfavourably compared U.S. reluctance to become involved in the Syrian imbroglio of sectarian bloody rage to Western indifference during the Holocaust. Chemical weapons in both areas, inaction and a preference for total oblivion to reality in each. But what to do? How to react? Where to begin? He was chastened by his prime minister cautioning his cabinet to behave "responsibly".

As for Mr. Netanyahu himself, he wants a tough response to Syria. There would be deeper implications for the international response to Iran's nuclear program, based on reactions to their client state's chemical attacks. "Assad's regime has become a full Iranian client and Syria has become Iran's testing ground. Now the whole world is watching", he said.

If Bashar al-Assad had no hesitation about using chemical agents to destroy his own people, then certainly -- the reasoning goes in Israel, where Jews are very well acquainted with the effects of chemical gases through the efficiency of death delivery by the Nazis using Zyclone B, thank you very much -- there would be no problems in his mind about using chemical weapons on those he perceives to be his most dangerous enemies; Jews.

Problems abound. Assad's actions and reactions are almost predictable to Israeli Intelligence. There has been a silent and almost acceptable stand-off between Israel and Syria since the 1967 war. Syria would prefer not to engage militarily with Israel; not at the present time, in any event; when Iran has succeeded with its nuclear warhead, another story altogether. Put Islamists in his place so close to Israel and in control of Syria and there are no bounds.

Could any nation ever be faced with a more problematical choice? Which to choose; the deadly trifecta of Iran/Syria/Hezbollah? Or the equally deadly combination of Islamist Salafists, Brotherhood militias and al-Qaeda groups combining their efforts for greatest effectiveness in their common pursuit of the elimination of the State of Israel.