At the beginning of this year, Israel tested Iron Dome, an anti-missile system that could intercept rockets launched from Gaza and South Lebanon.
The shield fires missiles at incoming threats that it identifies by radar. It has been described as a “gamechanger” in Israel’s defence mechanism.
The Iron Dome, however, was funded by the United States. Earlier this month, the House of Representatives voted emphatically in favour of giving Israel $205 million towards Iron Dome.
The Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Howard Berman, said following the vote that “with nearly every square inch of Israel at risk from rocket and missile attacks, we must ensure that our most important ally in the region has the tools to defend itself”.
When the tests took place earlier in the year, the news was greeted with a barrage of ten mortar shells from Gaza. They caused no damage, but served to emphasise the continued threat to Israel from Gaza.
Israeli officials now rank rocket attacks as the most serious threat to Israeli security, particularly if war were to break out.
Ephraim Inbar, director of the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies, claims that Iron Dome will mean that Israel’s enemies will be forced to rethink their strategies: “The system neutralises one of the foundations of the enemy’s strategies, which says that, due to the Israeli army’s total superiority, the only way to target Israel is by hitting its population centres”.
Israel hope to recoup the loss made through the development of Iron Dome by selling it on to other countries.
The saliency of Israel’s new toy has grown this week following the attack by Israelis on ships delivering aid to the Gaza Strip.
The question that the US must ask itself is whether it can continue to support a nation that is so overwhelmingly morally bankrupt.
Barack Obama promised us a new brand of American foreign relations. He was even given the Nobel Peace Prize. The USA’s persistence in supporting its Middle Eastern ally, despite what it might be getting up to, remains a huge worry.
Hillary Clinton said this week that the situation in Gaza is unacceptable and unsustainble. Actions, as they say, speak louder than words.
1. Jonathan
Iron dome is a totally defensive system which is can only protect. Yet the writter of this article complains, That america has given Israel a “new toy”. I understand this is in the oppinion section. However to say a country of seven million people is “morally bankrupt”, without justifing the statement in anyway, is unjustified.
2. Damian
Jonathan: First things first, I was referring to the state of Israel, not to the nation. The state is the government, not the people. I’m sure the seven million people who make up Israel are very nice people indeed.
You claim that my assertation that the state of Israel is morally bankrupt is unjustified because I haven’t justified it. This is a slightly tautological statement. I was referring to the raid on aid ships bound for Gaza and, perhaps indirectly, to the blockade. You’re right, perhaps, that I could have been more clear.
3. Jonathan
Thank you However, you haven’t delt with the point that IRON DOME is purely DEFENSIVE.
4. Damian
The headline, I feel, is misleading. I accept that Iron Dome is defensive. What I am questioning is the fact that the USA gives money to Israel at all.
5. zacharyesterson
The US funded Israel because Israel is a world leader in developing the soft ware and hard ware to address one of the hardest problems encountered: how to track a moving missile AND target it before it reaches its destination.
6. zacharyesterson
‘Israel’s new toy’
I think your journalistic impartiality slipped a bit there, Damian. Israel, of course, does not think it is a ‘toy’. It thinks it is essential to defend against the short range shells and rockets of Hamas and Hizbullah. There is no system in the world that can defend against that kind of short range rocket barrage, which is why Israel has had to develop one.
‘The saliency of Israel’s new toy has grown this week following the attack by Israelis on ships delivering aid to the Gaza Strip.’
a) Israel is entitled to blockade a government that professes eternal jihad until no more Israel. Gaza constitutes ‘belligerent territory’.
b) Israel is entitled to intercept any would be blockade buster, globally.
c) Israel commandos only opened fire after ‘peace’ activists began firing a gun or guns taken off them, after they had under gone repeated assault with staves, metal piping and knives. One soldier was stabbed through to his stomach lining, another was hurled 30 feet from the upper to lower deck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LulDJh4fWI&;feature=channel
The audio clearly records the commandos begging to be evacuated: they feel they cannot commandeer the ship without live fire, which they have been ordered not to use unless their lives are threatened and they cannot simply withdraw.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFGuwUGaI9o
They only open fire with live fire, and not paintball guns, after they hear the ‘peace’ activists open fire.
‘What I am questioning is the fact that the USA gives money to Israel at all’.
Because of the allegedly heinous behaviour of the IDF, you mean?
This article might interest you:
Israel, human decency, common humanity (by Eve Garrard)
Fintan O’Toole thinks that Israel regards itself as ‘exempt from the demands of common humanity’ (via Z Word Blog). Iain Banks thinks that ‘simple human decency’ means nothing to Israel (see this normblog post).
Two well-known writers, very anxious to tell the world that Israel lacks humanity. Israel’s not like the rest of us, the rest of the human family. Compared to other nations, it’s inhuman. It doesn’t recognize what everyone else knows about, the simple requirements of being decently human. It ought to recognize these things, it isn’t hard to do so, since they’re so simple; and most other people do, since they’re part of common humanity.
Leave aside the sinister provenance of that claim, and let’s just consider it on its own.
Turkey has killed between 30,000 and 40,000 Kurds in the last 30 years; it occupies North Cyprus; it blockades Armenia and denies its own historical genocide. But Israel lacks simple human decency.
Sri Lanka, at the same time that Israel was fighting in Gaza (around 1300 dead) killed about 25,000 of its own civilians in the course of repressing an insurgency. But Israel thinks it’s exempt from the demands of common humanity.
Sudan has killed something in the order of 200,000 people in Darfur, with countless rapes and tortures alongside. But Israel lacks simple human decency.
Iran rapes and tortures and murders its own dissidents who ask for democracy; it hangs young gays, it oppresses women. But Israel thinks it’s exempt from the demands of common humanity.
Yemen is blockading South Yemen, it lets no food, medicine or water through; unlike Israel, which lets around 15,000 tons of supplies into Gaza every week. But Israel lacks simple human decency.
Egypt is considering a law to strip their citizenship from any Egyptian who marries an Israeli; it persecutes Copts; it blockades Gaza. But Israel thinks it’s exempt from the demands of common humanity.
Russia kills 25,000 to 50,000 Chechens, and almost completely razes the capital city of Grozny; its soldiers inflict hideous tortures on their prisoners before killing them; investigative journalists are murdered. But Israel lacks simple human decency.
China kills somewhere between half a million and one and a quarter million Tibetans in the course of quashing Tibet’s independence. But Israel thinks it’s exempt from the demands of common humanity.
In Pakistan, Christian churches are burned, hundreds of Ahmadiyyas are killed, violence towards women is endemic. But Israel lacks simple human decency.
In Saudi Arabia, no churches are allowed, no Israeli Jews may enter, women are subject to gender apartheid. But Israel thinks it’s exempt from the demands of common humanity.
Congo: what can one say about Congo? More than that 5 million – 5 million – people have been killed in its wars, alongside innumerable rapes and hideous tortures? But Israel lacks simple human decency.
Now, here’s one especially for Iain Banks: the USA and the UK initiate a war in Iraq in which more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians are killed. But Israel thinks it’s exempt from the demands of common humanity.
France trained and armed the Hutu genocidaires who killed around 800,000 civilians in the Rwanda genocide, and continued to protect them even as they lost power to the incoming Tutsis. But Israel lacks simple human decency.
Three things to note. First, most of the other cases I’ve mentioned have involved far worse horrors than anything Israel has done. But Israel is the one which Banks and O’Toole charge, not with acting wrongly, or having bad judgement, but with being deliberately impervious to morality, with not even rising to the most basic level of decency. Banks and O’Toole (and indeed many others) level this charge at Israel alone. We won’t be hearing them say that the Chinese are deliberately impervious to morality, or that the Turks lack simple human decency. Only Israel. Why is this?
Second, we can’t in fact leave aside the sinister provenance of these charges. O’Toole at least claims to know about the Holocaust, and what led to that horror; it’s possible that Banks knows something about it too. It’s a commonplace of historical explanation that one of the enabling factors was the dehumanization of the Jews, the constant Nazi propaganda about how they weren’t fully human, how they didn’t have the normal moral sentiments and beliefs, about how they saw themselves as the chosen people, above ordinary morality. Here we see these dehumanizing lies being reproduced, 60 years later, about Israel, and only about Israel. Why is this?
Third, and most importantly, every point I’ve made in this post has been made before, by many others, many many times: forcefully, cogently, analytically; both passionately and dispassionately; with humour and with despair. It hasn’t made the slightest difference to the likes of Banks and O’Toole. Nor to the many others shouting or whispering at us, in the teeth of the evidence, that Gaza is the new Warsaw Ghetto, and that Israel is really Nazi Germany come again – and so it’s fine to hate Israel, it’s to your credit to hate it, it shows the world that you have simple human decency.
Why is this? And where will it lead? (Eve Garrard)
http://normblog.typepad.com/normblog/2010/06/israel-human-decency-common-humanity-by-eve-garrard.html
7. Damian
Thanks for the article Zachary.
I feel that it’s important to stress, however, that I’m not questioning whether the USA gives money to Israel on the basis of Iron Dome, more on Israel’s action with regards to the boarding of aid ships and the effects of the blockade: I’m not necessarily denying that Israel has a right to stop arms from entering Gaza, I’m more concerned with its effects. The UN, after all, has called the blockade a “medieval siege”.
Important point: this aspect of conditionality is not new and I’m not suggesting that Israel is warrented special treatment. For years, aid sent to Africa has been conditional in theory on good governance (it can be debated whether this worked out in practice). The article you sent me is exactly right, but I think you’ll agree with me that the fact that man is inhuman around the world doesn’t excuse it in the UK, in Sri Lanka or in Israel.
8. Damian
One other thing: I’m fully aware that Iron Dome is a defence mechanism. I’m also willing to accept that as a sovereign state, Israel has the right to defend its borders. The fact that Iron Dome is defensive is, in terms of this article, neither here nor there. Once again: I’m merely questioning whether the US should be giving Israel money at all.
9. Jonathan
The UN, after all, has called the blockade a “medieval siege”. As a rule you can get someone in the UN to justify anything see GA 1080 occupied people have the right to resist IN ANY WAY. So suicide bombings, hijacking planes and flying them into tower blocks are all ok with the General Assembly.
10. zacharyesterson
‘The article you sent me is exactly right, but I think you’ll agree with me that the fact that man is inhuman around the world doesn’t excuse it in the UK, in Sri Lanka or in Israel.’
Yeah, but it begs the question why the disproportionate focus on the one Jewish state in the world when it is by far not the worst offender.
’ I’m merely questioning whether the US should be giving Israel money at all.’
a) ‘give’ money is hardly accurate: Iron Dome is also an investment for the US. You do realise that Pentium has some its most advanced laboratories in Israel, which is the 7th largest electronics economy in the world.
Which follows from my first question, given the other recipients of US moneys.
You imply that Israel’s alleged crimes on the Gaza flotilla was so egregious compared to those of other states, that Israel alone merits no US money.
Which again leads back to my original assertion of disproportionate focus on the one Jewish state in the world.
11. Jonathan
I get your arguement about double standards. I would say bashing Israel is trendy.
12. zacharyesterson
To put it simply: Turkey supports allowing Hamas import whatever it wants, when Hamas professes eternal jihad to end any Israel. Turkey sends ‘peace activists’ that are not the peaceful western variety.
Israeli soldiers defend themselves, and you accuse them of so great a crime that it merits cessation of all US money to Israel, despite Turkey’s having committed transgressions no better than Israel’s, not to mention those of Israel’s Arab and Islamic neighbours.
13. Damian
I think you’re both being unfair and clearly don’t read the politics section ona regular basis: it covers a wide range of news from around the world, even the tragic news. People tend to be touchy about Israel and/or Palestine, so articles on the topic tend to receive a lot more attention.
Zachary: You’ve missed my point entirely! As far as I’m concerned countries that engage in unhumanitarian acts should forfeit their right to receive some aid, investment etc. No country should be more or less accountable for its actions than another. On this point, I think, we are in agreement. The focus is on Israel here because their actions in relation to Gaza were in the news last week and I spent some time musing about what this could mean. The article you posted includes a comprehensive link of countries that could have replaced Israel. As I said before: no special treatment for Israel, no special treatment for anyone.
14. zacharyesterson
Yeah, but
a) I doubt you have EVER called for money or aid to to be stopped to any country for actions far more heinous than Israel’s, in far less mitigating circumstances which means
b) you are absolutely meting out special treatment to the one Jewish state in the world.
c) which begs or entails the further question just why, say, Israel in Gaza is of so much more interest than, say, Sri Lanka among the Tamils (from January 2009, while the furor over Cast Lead raged, this was happening:
By April 25, 2009, the area under the LTTE was reduced to 10 km2. While the Tamil exodus from the ‘no-fire zone’ continued, the UN estimated that around 6,500 civilians may have been killed and another 14,000 wounded between January 2009 and April 2009.226 According to the BBC, the land recaptured by the army from the rebels in the past few months is totally depopulated and the destruction is seen everywhere.[228]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_Civil_War#May_17:_Tigers_admit_defeat
Have you ever asked for all money, aid or trade to Sri Lanka to cease.
A few weeks ago, the German army asked for an air strike in Afghanistan that killed 50-150 civilians.
Did you ask for all money, aid or trade to Germany or NATO countries to cease?
And I’ll bet those civilians weren’t trying to break a military blockade, or set about those NATO soldiers with staves, bars, knives or guns.
15. zacharyesterson
I just want to iterate the video of the ‘peace’ activists whom the IDF killed in alleged violation or human rights so egregious Damian says Israel forfeits all US investment (which is what Iron Dome is):
Israel commandos only opened fire after ‘peace’ activists began firing a gun or guns taken off them, after they had under gone repeated assault with staves, metal piping and knives. One soldier was stabbed through to his stomach lining, another was hurled 30 feet from the upper to lower deck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LulDJh4fWI&;;feature=channel
The audio clearly records the commandos begging to be evacuated: they feel they cannot commandeer the ship without live fire, which they have been ordered not to use unless their lives are threatened and they cannot simply withdraw.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFGuwUGaI9o
16. Jonathan
“Bashing Israel is trendy” and” People tend to be touchy about Israel and/or Palestine, so articles on the topic tend to receive a lot more attention” are two overlapping statements I agree with.