Israel's Right Wing Does Not Care About US Credibility

President Obama’s decision [Aug.31] to delay the assault on Syria and seek congressional approval exposed the human-moral face of the leaders of Israel’s right wing. It appears that even members of HaBayit HaYehudi Party lost some sleep in anticipation of the US punishment of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the massacre of his people. Suddenly, they care about Arabs killing Arabs. For the Syrian criminal to get his just deserts, our friends on the right are willing to stand in line for gas masks and to clean out their fallout shelters. Such kind, merciful souls (until someone suggests opening a small refugee camp for Syrians on the Golan Heights). After wiping away the tears they shed over their neighbors’ bitter fate and clicking their tongues over the helplessness of the entire world, they can then go on to historical analysis and strategic conclusions.

Take, for example, the message conveyed to the public by Minister of Economy and Trade Naftali Bennett, chairman of HaBayit HaYehudi, on his Facebook page the day after Obama’s speech. “Israel’s iron rule is that if we don’t look out for ourselves, who will?” the minister of economy wrote. “The international stuttering and hesitancy over Syria prove once again — Israel can trust no one but itself. From Munich 1938 until Damascus 2013, nothing has changed. That is our biggest lesson from the events in Syria.” Bennett stated that “every Israeli should know this, study it, share and distribute this to others.”