www.jewishledger.com
The Connecticut Jewish Ledger is the best Jewish interest newspaper in America….rsk
Israel’s intelligence is important to the West
When Israeli intelligence disclosed that it believed Bashir Assad’s government introduced MWD-chemicals into the conflict in that country, those who always see Israel at the root of everything evil in that part of the world were quick to rush to judgment. Another example of Israel trying to push the United States into a war to benefit Israeli interests, they said. A national talk show host did exactly that when he read the news that the source of the most recent intelligence on Syrian Chemical use was Israel and then, almost in the same breath inferred that Israel was pushing us to war. He wasn’t alone and was echoed in other places almost as quickly.
It’s hard for some minds to grasp, but there are two separate elements to consider here. Israel is the source of intelligence in that part of the world because she is fully focused on it while most other intelligence services aren’t involved to the same extent. This because Israel absolutely has to know what’s going on there since it is in her vital, immediate interest to stay informed so that she may inform her own strategic posture for survival. That she shares that intel with the West does not mean that she is attempting to influence American policy. Without Israel’s Humanintel and her close-up electronic surveillance, the West is blind in many ways to what goes on in a region vital to her existence