Bibi's Ten Words

Politicians generally like to hear themselves talks — and Israeli politicians are generally no different. Instead of cutting to the point (even the “Straight Talk Express” came in through a heavy fog), politicians often cloud what they mean with metaphors, references to local business leaders, allusions to past heroes and other tactics meant to beat around the bush and provide political cover if a slip of the tongue finds them in hot water.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu seems to have bucked that trend, at least in one private conversation as relayed by the Washington Post’s George Will. In a private conversation with a U.S. official who lives in a D.C. suburb, Netanyahu said:

“You live in Chevy Chase. Don’t play with our future.”

Those ten words actually say a lot, but what they also don’t say reveals quite a bit as well.

Effectively, Netanyahu is giving the age-old Israeli argument that the millions of Jews that live throughout Israel are in danger every day. Terrorists could target a local pizzeria, a militant rocket could destroy a school full of children or Iran could decide to make good on its promise to eradicate Israel and actually use nuclear weapons to commit large-scale genocide. All that doesn’t even begin to account for the widely held belief that eventually Israel will lose its Jewish character if non-Jewish birthrates continue to exceed the reproductive appetite of Israeli Jews.

Whoever Netanyahu spoke with received a warning: “You’re safe and sound living in America, while me, my family and my people are under constant threats that could wipe us out in a manner of minutes. Keep your hands to your self and don’t tie mine behind my back.”

But, what part of the exchange are we missing? Quite a bit, in fact. The United States has supplied Israel with billions of dollars in military aide. The U.S. government has repeatedly defended Israel while the entire world has condemned the Jewish state. The U.S. military has fought wars that protected Israel and fought mutual enemies without large-scale assistance from the Israeli Defense Forces.

Aside from that, officials from both countries often laud the shared values and mutual interests of the two countries. Israel is the only democracy in the region, and the United States has a clear interest in ensuring that another black hole of corruption and oppression does not emerge in the Middle East.

While U.S. policy makers may not live in Israel and under the day-to-day threat of eradication, the American people have a clear stake in the future of the Middle East. A lot of taxpayer dollars, U.S. international clout and American lives have been spent in support of Israel and a peaceful region, and the American people should not be cast off as a nuisance. Even aside from the immense U.S. support for Israel, the American people have significant interests at stake in the region and can not be expected to let long-standing feuds in the Middle East continue until eternity.

Granted, no U.S. official should dictate Israel’s policy, but to expect silence from American policymakers is simply unrealistic. Israel is a sovereign country and can decide its own policies, but it also must consider the repercussions of those decisions, which could include a reevaluation of the status quo.

Israel could survive without America’s support, but the Jewish state has chosen not to. Israel decided to make the United States its closest ally, and that friendship is spurred by mutual interests and concerns. The two countries are wed and entangled, and a mere domestic dispute is not going to lead to an immediate divorce, not even if one of the two parties prefers to be left alone.