Iran makes threats; U.S. Blamed for Saber Rattling

By Shoshana Bryen

Israel is often in this position. Its enemies threaten it in unacceptable ways or commit acts of violence just under some unspoken-but-very-real threshold of tolerance (not Israel’s threshold, mind you, but that of the U.S., the UN or the EU). Corresponding Israeli action to protect its people is called “aggression” and Israel is blamed for any resulting damage. In 2002, Israel’s choice was to suffer suicide bombers or to enter Palestinian cities on the West Bank. In 2005, it was to accept terrorist infiltration or to build the security fence. In 2008 and 2009, it was to permit Hamas to rain rockets and missiles on the south, or to enter Gaza to restore its deterrence. In 2010, the choice was to intercept the Mavi Marmara in international waters or to risk having it blow up on Israel’s shores.

In each case, Israel suffered the opprobrium of the uninvolved. Rarely was it noted that if Israel’s enemies would just stop trying to kill them, there wouldn’t be a need for any of those choices.

The U.S. now finds itself in a similar situation, but the belief that America will be at fault if it antagonizes Iran comes at least in part from Americans ...

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Shoshana Bryen has more than 30 years experience as a defense policy analyst and has been taking American military officers and defense professionals to the Middle East since 1982. She is the former Senior Director for Security Policy at JINSA and was author of JINSA Reports from 1995-2011.