Talks of Peace -- Threats of War

C. Hart
American Thinker
19 May '10

Behind all the optimism that is being expressed in regard to the new Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks, there is great concern of a looming war in the Middle East. While reports have focused on the possibility of a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran, few analysts have considered that the next war might be more limited in scope -- one that could occur, instead, between Israel and Iran's proxies in the region.

Recently, an Israeli think-tank, the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya, launched simulated war games, gauging international reaction to a possible long-range missile attack on Tel Aviv. Such an attack might be aimed at Israel's Defense Ministry, and Middle East experts at IDC developed possible scenarios to prepare for such developments.

Also on Israel's military agenda is a national war drill called Turning Point 4, which will be held May 23-27. The purpose of the drill is to see how civilians might respond to rocket attacks fired on the home front. Israel's Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai says the drill is not linked to fears of a looming war, and that Israel has sent messages to allay tensions that could be caused by the exercise.

In fact, Israeli leaders have been engaged in sending messages to Lebanon and Syria for several weeks now, claiming that Israel wants peace, not war, on its northern border. This follows rumors, presumably started by Iran, that Israel may attack trucks carrying massive arms from Syria to Hezb'allah. The transfer of these arms, many originating in Iran, has been going on for four years now, in defiance of U.N. Security Resolution 1701, which was implemented at the end of the 2006 Second Lebanon War. Iran's reason for trying to provoke Israel to spark a new war in the Middle East may be to detract the international community from imposing further U.N. sanctions on the Islamic state.

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