Israelis Fear Blame For US-Iran War
Experts warn that it may soon be too late to prevent a nuclear Iran, necessitating an American military intervention for which Israel may bear the blame, reports Barbara Slavin from the J-Street convention. A prolonged conflict could both weaken the Israeli-US alliance and be detrimental to US interests.
A thread of anxiety ran through a conference of liberal American Jews and Israelis Sunday [March 25]. The worry: that Israel would bear the blame for any military confrontation between the United States and Iran.
Retired brigadier general Shlomo Brom, a former director of strategic planning for the Israeli Defense Forces General Staff, told an audience at the J-Street convention that he had participated in talks with the George W. Bush administration before it attacked Iraq in 2003.
Contrary to the prevalent narrative, he said that the Israelis had argued vociferously that there was no need to strike Iraq because Saddam Hussein was contained following the 1991 Gulf War, and that the real threat was Iran.
“This time, it will not be a false accusation [of Israeli responsibility],” he added, if the US starts a war with Iran or is dragged into one by Israeli action.
