So this morning I had the honor of joining a blogger conference call that Rick Richman of Current Jewish Issues set up with former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Also on the call were Ed Lasky of The American Thinker, Pamela of Atlas Shrugs, Anne Lieberman of Boker Tov, Boulder, Omri Ceren of Mere Rhetoric, Paul Mirengoff and Scott Johnson of Power Line and David Gerstman of Soccer Dad. We were all busy writing, typing and/or recording away, so each of those blogs will no doubt have a different perspective on the call. Check them all out.
The predominant theme of Bibi's remarks was what he called "the free world's battle against Sunni and Shiite fundamentalism" -- the attempt to either ressurect an Islamic empire in which Western countries like Israel would have no place or to generate a "millenial suicidal apocalypse" in which the armies of Islam would reach heaven. Israel is in the front line position in this battle, he said, but the rest of nations of the free world will be just behind.
In this war, there must be a division of labor. Israel must dismantle Hezbollah, the forward unit of the Iranian army, but the the U.S. must launch its own international effort to disarm Iran's nuclear weapons. Imagine, he said, if Hitler had waited to go to war until he had developed nuclear capabilities.
Europe doesn't get it, said Netanyahu. But Iran now has missiles that can reach London and Paris. While Israel may be the "Little Satan" and the U.S. the "Big Satan," Europe is viewed as the "Middle Satan," and the middle in such a conflict is not a good place to be. The aim of this war is to destroy their society and their civilization and, as in other times and places, hatred of Jews is only the beginning of a pattern of aggression that will ultimately consume the world. President Bush's commitment to prevent Iran from arming itself with nuclear weapons is the most important decision of our time and one that is fully supported by Israel.
The Lebanese conflict (the Olmert administration never did call it a war, and Bibi has commented on the implications of this elsewhere) was only the first round. But it proved three things conclusively: 1) the core of the conflict is not about territory, but about Israel's very existence; 2) unilateral withdrawal is perceived by Israel's enemies as weakness to be exploited; and 3) unilateral withdrawal further creates opportunities for the launching missiles into Israel's cities. Unilateral withdrawal is a failed strategy that must be abandoned.
The cease-fire is only an interlude. The international actors won't be willing to carry out UNSC 1701 because they're not willing to fight and die, which Hezbullah is. Hezbullah will not only keep its weapons but will rearm. The two tentacles, Hamas representing the Sunnis in the south and Hezbollah representing the Shiites in the north, are tasked with making sure this war continues to its desired conclusion. The first step is the destruction of Israel, but the second and equally crucial step is the diminishment and defeat of the West.
Bibi declined to get into what he called "political scenarios." It's not the time, he said, while our soldiers are still in Lebanon. In response to Omri's question why the Olmert government was so hesitant to release its full force against Hezbullah, he gave a verbal shrug. "I don't know," was all he'd say.
To come full circle, David asked what is most important thing we bloggers can emphasize to bring the true picture to our readers. Without hesitation, Bibi responded that it's the alliance between Israel and the U.S. This isn't a war between two neighboring tribes. It's the opening salvo in Islam's renewed quest for world domination, an attack on "our house," the house of freedom and democratic society.
The call got suddenly cut off right there in mid-sentence. But the point was clear. Putting some elements of past performance aside, Bibi is now emerging as the one who "gets it." He says that Hamas and Hezbollah shouldn't underestimate Israel's ability to learn from her past mistakes and employ those lessons to her advantage. I'd suggest that the same could be said about Binyamin Netanyahu.
Many thanks to Rick and Pamela for organizing and implementing this call and to Mr. Netanyahu and his office for their time and assistance.
