A Modest Proposal: Israel Joining NATO

[drdon326]

The death of Yasir Arafat has been like the holing of a dam on a long-blocked river, with a sudden and powerful surge of optimism and new ideas in the Middle East, even if some of them are still rather muddy.

One of the most intriguing is the suggestion that Israel, which has always seen itself as a singular David among Goliaths, should consider joining NATO.

The idea, at least, is that closer ties to NATO - and perhaps eventual membership - would embed Israel in the West and, by providing security guarantees, give it more confidence to make a comprehensive peace.

Such logic stands in contrast with a core lesson that Israel's founding generation took from the Holocaust: in the end, the Jewish people should count only on themselves to guarantee their survival.

But Uzi Arad, a former Israeli intelligence official who heads the Institute for Policy and Strategy, says it is time for Israel to "drop its Groucho attitude" toward NATO and work "to establish a solid and comprehensive partnership with both the United States and Europe."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/19/weekinreview/19erla.html

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interesting

[bemildred]

1. Very interesting. nt

[madrchsod]

2. never in a thousand years

unless Israel decides to treat the Palestinians as equals. will it ever happen? maybe in a thousand years plus

[Jim Sagle]

3. Baloney. Europe doesn't care about the Palestinians excepts as a stick to

beat Israel with.

[drdon326]

4. Sadly, Jimbo.....

you're correct.

[Tuco Ramirez]

12. The Palestinians are kin to all those European Arabs

Why wouldn't Europe have an interest in their plight?

European ties to the Arabs pre-date the current situation.

[peacetalksforall]

5. Who's idea is this? If Israel - is it because they think they may not

have our youth, the youth of the U.S., to fight/defend and takeover for them or our youth's money?

If Europe, are they willing to do fight/defend for Israel?

Or will the ME be the United States of the Middle East by the time this might be realized?

The good thing here is that this is even being discussed because it means some people are working on the problem. Simultaneously, people should pray and work on the five elements problem...water, fire, wood, metal, earth. The Chinese had it right.

[teryang]

6. Israel with its apartheid policy complete with bantustans

...will never acquire NATO status. It is a matter of guarded self interest for the major European states to avoid any semblance of supporting Israel's rapacious colonialism.

[drdon326]

7. Riiiiiiight.....

aparteid,blah,blah,blah,colonialism,blah,blah,blah.

Every non-sensical EI talking point.

Must be hard to explain how israel is clearing out of gaza...

[Djinn]

8. not really

Gaza has never been part of the religious wet dreamers "Greater Israel" in "clearing out" Israel will be able to devout more money/troops to the West Bank and they will continue to have control over the sea/air over/around Gaza and will continue to control access to it.

It's good PR and looses Israel very little ground

[Tuco Ramirez]

11. They'll be leaving all of it, little by little.

The return of Sinai, the outright retreat from Lebanon, and the building of the "security barrier" all indicate they are leaving a lot more than Gaza.

[newyorican]

9. They have a better shot at NATO...

then joining the EU. However, that's not saying much.

[Tuco Ramirez]

10. Snowball's chance in hell...

When somebody had mentioned they might join the EU, the EU ministers were quite taken aback. Naturally, both of these suggestions are to somehow enlist aid in a war in which they have no prospect of victory (even with "Western" troops); all parties involved in NATO and EU clearly see that. They also see the benefits of maintaining positive relations with the Arabs as well.