Op-ed: 

The serious matter of Israel’s survival

By: Diane Sori

 

Ok folks, the time is drawing near as events in the Middle East are heating up.  Newly elected Egyptian muslim brotherhood president Mohammad Mursi has ordered the powerful head of Egypt's armed forces, Field Marshall Tantawi, to resign (‘transferred into retirement’ as he calls it), and also ordered a constitutional declaration aiming to curb presidential powers to be nullified and cancelled.

Not good NOT good at all.

Since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, the relationship between islamists and the military has become increasingly tension filled.  And now with Mursi naming General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, an open supporter of the muslim brotherhood, as Tantawi’s replacement for both armed forces chief and defense minister things could not be more on edge.  

Mursi's opponents have most assuredly underestimated his power.  This newly elected man has now successfully overridden the Egyptian generals who were the power behind Mubarak, and the ones who took control of the country after his overthrow. 

But now that power has come to an end as the muslim brotherhood is in total control of Egypt.  And with Egypt sitting right on Israel’s southern border Israel has to wait and see if the two country’s treaties will be honored by the new government.  Add this to the list of Israel’s problems with Syria to the north and the Palestinians in Gaza, and you have one very on edge nation.

And of course let’s NOT forget Iran, the nation whose leader wants to wipe Israel off the map.

"All of the threats on the home front shrink in the face of another threat – Iran cannot be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said in a recent newspaper interview.

Yesterday, in what I believe to be preparations for war, the Israeli government approved amendments to its protocol giving Netanyahu additional powers. Under the new amendments BiBi will have the power to delay motions passed by ministerial committees and the option to decide government voting orders, which means Netanyahu would be able to readily secure a majority vote for major decisions; important if war is indeed on the horizon.

And even with this a wrench is always thrown into the mix, and in this case it’s in the guise of former Prime Minister Olmert who says Iran poses no threat to Israel right now and that he doesn't foresee Israel acting for months, if they act at all.

Oh how wrong he is.  Netanyahu would NOT have been given the additional powers at this point in time if war was not close at hand.  And while he will probably bring the issue of declaring war to the full cabinet, honorable man that he is, make no mistake about it, Israel will go and end the threat to their survival, for now that Egypt has fallen they are totally surrounded by those out to kill them.

But Israel will act on Israel's timetable NOT on anyone else’s...as in Barack Hussein Obama.  Netanyahu will NEVER allow Israel to be used as campaign fodder for Obama’s try at re-election.  BiBi knows that Obama is NO friend to Israel and that he sides with Israel’s enemies; he knows that Obama wants East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state, something Israel will NOT allow as dividing Israel's capital of Jerusalem is NOT open for discussion; and he knows Obama wants Israel to return to its now indefensible pre-’67 borders, again something that will NOT happen.

Netanyahu also knows that if Obama is given a heads-up on Israel’s timetable for action, that Barack Hussein Obama will pick-up the phone and place that call warning his muslim brethren of not only what’s to come but when exactly it will come.

And most importantly, Benjamin Netanyahu knows that if Barack Hussein Obama is allowed to use Israel as fodder to get re-elected that Israel might cease to exist.

As always, November 6^th can’t come fast enough...both for America and for Israel.