The legendary Golda Meir once revealed Israel’s secret weapon—the reason this tiny state survived amidst a sea of countries committed to its destruction.
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It was not the nuclear arsenal. It was not the military training. “It’s simple,” she said, “we have no other place to go.”
That insight epitomizes why Israelis today are terrified by the nuclear deal the United States and other world powers has reached with Iran. A country whose leaders routinely call for the destruction of Israel may well have the capacity to build a nuclear weapon, if not now, then in 10 to 15 years, as the deal spells out.
Can’t Israel defend itself? Of course it can. Yet, a potentially nuclear Iran undermines an entire dream and vision.
The Dream of Israel’s Founders
Israel’s pioneers fled the the virulent antisemitism of Europe. Theodor Herzl, who created the World Zionist organization and predicted in 1897 with startling alacrity that we would see a Jewish state in 50 years, believed antisemitism was an unstoppable virus. The only way Jews could protect themselves would be to create and manage their own state.
This state would be the place where Jews were finally safe. It would be the place for authentic self-determination. Israel would be the place where, as the Bible predicts in Genesis, Jews would be a blessing to the nations of the world.
A Modern Miracle
So much of Herzl’s prediction has turned out to be true. Israel has been a modern-day miracle. Yet, the unrelenting hostility of the Arab world has made Israel’s survival depend on its military might and advantage. Israel—whose Prophets invented the concept of peace—have had to maintain the region’s most robust military and arsenal in order to survive.
A nuclear Iran destroys that advantage. Most Israelis do not fear Iran will use a nuclear weapon. Such usage assures mutual destruction. The fear is that Iran now holds a trump card which allows its proxies to carry out attacks against Israel without fear of serious reprisals. They will have Iran to back them up.
Israel will also lose the sense of overriding security it has worked tirelessly to secure. Even if it is never used, the specter of an Iranian bomb hangs over Israel like a loaded gun.
The One Agreement
Israelis rarely agree on difficult issues. Ambassador Michael Oren once joked that members of the Israeli parliament would throw chairs at each other if they weren’t bolted to the floor. And a classic Jewish joke reminds us that when you have two Jews, you have at least three opinions.
Yet, virtually all Israelis agree Iran must never attain a nuclear weapon. And they fear this agreement makes that scenario more likely than ever.
The American Jewish community remains divided over the agreement. I’ve compiled a variety of responses from different mainstream groups. Click here to get them.
