by Dr. Haim Shine
Many in
Israel -- politicians, analysts and wise citizens -- have harshly
criticized the agreement reached between world powers and Iran that will
change the balance of power in the region in which we live, and beyond.
The criticism is justified and it is focused primarily on the naivete
of Western leaders in the face of the finesse displayed by Iran. This
naivete manifested itself in the dangerous agreement, which will allow
the Iranians to continue to enrich uranium even as sanctions that once
threatened to bring down the Iranian economy are eased.
The Israeli
government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, made tremendous
efforts to lift Iran's mask of smiles and expose the world's march of
folly. But so far, this has been to no avail. The Western world is
exhausted and will find it difficult to deal with future threats. Also,
the range of thought in Western civilization has become remarkably
smaller.
Nevertheless, I
suggest that we show measured humility when it comes to our criticism of
other nations. For decades, Israeli governments have held negotiations
with the Palestinians and have even signed agreements with them. Over
the years, Israel has given the Palestinians land, strategic assets and
weapons, and in return has received blood, fire and pillars of smoke.
Israeli leaders have also been captivated by Middle Eastern traders who
have the ability to receive something without giving anything in return.
The first to experience this was our forefather Abraham, who paid
Ephron 400 shekels of silver (the equivalent of $700,000 today) in
exchange for a small burial cave and an abandoned edge of a field.
Currently,
Israel is again negotiating with the Palestinians. The details of the
talks are unknown, but one can hope that, as a country that is warning
the world about naivete, Israel has learned to be careful about
illusions and false dreams. Iran's success will only empower the
Palestinians and lead them to increase their demands, as the agreement
in Geneva proved that Western powers are not concerned about the fate of
the Jews. This indifference is nothing new, and in the 20th century we
experienced real-life consequences of it.
U.S. President
Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry are not naive, as we tend
to think. The strength of a leader is derived from the strength of the
nation that he or she leads. After Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq,
Syria and al-Qaida, the new American society no longer has reserves of
fortitude. It is preoccupied with economic survival, health care and
dealing with the flood of immigrants. American citizens feel their
country has invested too much energy on managing faraway crises rather
than tackling problems at home.
As always,
Israel will need to deal with the existential threats it faces on its
own. Anyone who thought differently was wrong. Intellectuals and
opinion-makers believe that Israel has exhausted the world's sense of
guilt for remaining silent as the endless trains led the Jews on their
final journeys. As far as the world is concerned, Israel won its
independence so the Jews would no longer have to plead for mercy.
Dr. Haim Shine
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=6453
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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