Israel’s Neighborhood

The post-World War II generation of Americans has a difficult time relating to a foreign invasion or surprise attack. Fortunately. But would they feel differently if a street gang stood at the top of Griffith Park or on the Santa Monica Mountains and started shooting down at the city with heavy artillery? What if Los Angeles was surrounded by hostile neighbors committed to its destruction? The surrounding neighbors would be amassing a large army, which would eventually become the fourth largest army in the world with missiles pointed toward their target, Los Angeles. The residents of Los Angeles would have to establish a military capability in self-defense, which would become a significant cost both in human lives and in dollars.

What would be Los Angeles’ predicament if the hostile line were only nine miles away (nine miles is merely the distance between Century City and La Cienega Boulevard)? The surrounding enemies of Los Angeles could also be expected to use their airports to launch attacks, just a 2-3 minute flight from their target.

Can the people of this region possibly perceive such a scenario? Although the people of Los Angeles fortunately do not have to face a threat to their very existence and that of their communities, nonetheless, the people of Los Angeles also know what it means to be concerned for their personal safety every day. During my visits to various communities, I sense people’s fear of drive-by shootings, violence and attacks in once-removed and now less protected areas. We all live in dangerous neighborhoods.

Americans were stunned in August, 1990, when the mighty Iraqi army marched right into the small country of Kuwait in a matter of hours. The Kuwaiti people were defenseless and brutalized by Iraq’s army. This war showed us only too well that ground forces using conventional weapons (artillery, guns, tanks) will destroy a country. Yes, even in the missile age, wars are decided on the ground.

It should, therefore, not be hard to understand that Israel cannot just “give up” land acquired while defending herself against a threat to her very existence, for only a promise of peace from hostile neighbors. Perhaps U.S. Lt. Gen. Thomas Kelly was right when he said that it was imperative for Israel to educate the American public of its security needs. He said, “The West Bank is critical terrain that is essential to Israel’s security.” Without Judea-Samaria (the West Bank), Israel is only nine miles wide at its narrowest point. That makes it indefensible. Judea-Samaria’s high ground, overlooking Israel’s coastal plain, holds five mountain passes that are the key gateway to Israel’s center. If Judea-Samaria were to fall into the wrong hands, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the heartland of Israel would be exposed.

The Golan Heights presents a similar problem. One-half-mile high and only 15 miles from side to side, it is of vital strategic value to Israel because of the Syrian threat. When Syrians controlled this land they rained artillery shells on farms and cities below in the Galilee. Additionally, the Golan Heights, holding the head waters of the Jordan River, is a source of much of Israel’s water.

The Gaza strip in the past was a hotbed of terrorism and the site of numerous raids into Israel. Gaza is 45 minutes from Tel Aviv by land, and only a few miles by sea. Can Israel just walk away and allow the emergence of a situation worse than Lebanon on the doorstep of our largest city?

Israel lives in a very dangerous neighborhood. Yes, Israel, just like America, wants peace. Peace without security is meaningless.

RAN RONEN, Consul General of Israel, Los Angeles