Whose Battle is This?

The recent interception of a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that was launched into Israeli air space from Syria, and the events that followed this interception have brought into the open some serious questions about the threat against Israel along the northern border with Syria and Lebanon.  In particular, it has focused on the number of different players who are involved in the Syrian playing field, and the serious nature of the risk that Israel is forced to defend against from a variety of different sources.

The entry of the UAV into Israeli airspace had been anticipated for some time.  Israeli intelligence had identified the intention to send this from Syria, and it had a welcoming committee by the time it crossed the border into Israel.  Interestingly, it had taken a route from the Tiyas airbase (also known as T-4 airbase) in Syria where it was launched, through Jordanian air space and finally entering Israeli air space not far from Beit Shean in the upper Galilee.  The UAV was shot down after spending a little more than 90 seconds in Israeli air space, and this allowed for closer inspection of the vehicle.  It turns out that the UAV was a fairly substantial and serious piece of equipment.  Some have described the UAV as a drone, although I prefer the term UAV.  Somehow, the word drone implies something small and toy-like.  This is clearly not the case here.  The UAV has been identified as a Saeqeh or Thunderbolt from Iran.  This is a stealth model UAV modelled on the American RQ-170 Sentinel spy UAV, one of which was shot down and captured in Iran in 2011.  The launch of the UAV into Israeli air space was something that was clearly planned for some time before, and the type of vehicle that was used is highly sophisticated and shows serious intent on the part of those operating it.

After intercepting the UAV, Israel immediately carried out its stated policy of retaliating against each violation of her sovereignty and security.  Israeli Air Force F-16 fighters were deployed to launch attacks against 12 Syrian and Iranian targets in Syria.  These included aerial defense batteries, targets at the T-4 air base from which the UAV was launched, and positions of the Iranian military establishment in Syria.  The Israeli fighter jets were fired upon by Syrian forces.  The anti-aircraft fire that was directed against the Israeli aircraft was from a number of Russian air defense systems, including the SA-5, SA-17, SA-6 and SA-3 systems.  It was a Russian missile fired by the Syrian army that latched onto one of the Israeli F-16 jets, and exploded next to it causing irrecoverable damage to the aircraft.  The pilots ejected to safety, but not before sustaining injuries in the blast.  The F-16 crash landed in Israeli territory.

Despite the situation remaining tense but calm since this series of events, it has highlighted the complexity of the security situation that Israel faces, and the number of different players that are involved in the conflict.  The UAV that was initially launched into Israeli air space by the Syrian army was an Iranian-built vehicle employing American technology.  Israel finds itself fighting against American know-how,  Iranian production and financing and Russian weaponry launched by Syrian government forces.  More than this, Iran is now represented in the area near to the border in southern Syria, and Israel is being drawn into a direct conflict with Iranian forces.  This is something that is a relatively new development, as Israel's battles against Iran until now have all been via Iranian proxies in the form of Hezbollah, Hamas and others.

The relationships and conflicts with Syria, Iran and its proxies are clear.  These entities call for the destruction of Israel, and do all that they can to bring this about.  Israel will defend herself against them, and will use every effort to harm the interests and positions that these entities possess, no matter where they are situated in the world.  The threats against Israel from these sources are numerous and constant.  They manifest themselves all around the world - against Israeli embassies, airlines, businessmen, tourists and Jewish centres in any location.  All of this comes in addition to the threat along Israel's borders and even within the borders.  Iran has the intention, not only to destroy the Jewish state, but also to increase its sphere of influence in the Middle East and around the world.  It is promoting its brand of Shia Islam against all other religions, and against Sunni Islam.  Iran certainly has aspirations to be a controlling power in the region and around the world.  As part of this effort, Iran is cooperating with Russia and supporting Syria and other proxies in order to confront, the US, Israel and other regional and western powers.

The relationship with Russia is a little more complex.  Israel has found itself on the receiving end of Russian missiles and weaponry that have, not only shot down an Israeli F-16 fighter, but also threaten Israel's safety and security on a daily basis.  Major Russian weaponry systems are deployed in Iran and Syria, and most of these systems are aimed in a threatening way at Israel.  This is all in spite of the fact that Israel has full diplomatic relations with Russia, and Prime Minister Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met numerous times and spoken frequently on the phone in recent times.  Netanyahu's requests of Putin have fallen on deaf ears, and Putin continues to arm and finance organisations and governments that seek the destruction of the State of Israel and the murder of Jews.  Putin's interests are driven by increasing Russia's sphere of influence as much as possible, and by financial considerations.  Russia is making good money from the sale of arms and weapons.  Just as with his relationships with the USA and with Turkey, Putin seems to be playing both sides of the divide with Israel.  While Israel would wish to maintain cordial relations with Russia for a number of reasons, the fact that Russia is openly and unashamedly supporting Israel's enemies is clearly a very concerning situation.

What is clear from this situation is that Israel is fighting a survival battle, not only against enemies, but against "friends" as well.  I use the term friends in a loose way to include even those who are not quite so friendly, but with whom Israel has diplomatic ties.  Such as Russia.  In its fight against the Iranian UAV, Israel found itself battling its closest ally, the USA via the technology that Iran had taken to construct the UAV.  This regional war has a strong global element to it.  The strategic importance of maintaining influence over the Middle East seems not to have diminished over the years.

International diplomacy continues to be governed by interests rather than friendships.  This is very true of Israel's international relations.  The wars that Israel is fighting on her borders are highly complex with so many different parties involved.  It almost makes one wonder whose war this really is.  In reality, Israel is fighting wars with parties which come from much further away than those who reside on her borders.  This is a global war, and one which threatens to become broader and much more complex in the future.

Action At Last

The decision by US President Donald Trump to launch an attack in Syria following the recent chemical weapons attack has been widely welcomed by Israelis.  It is also a welcome change from the policy that was pursued by the US during the presidency of Barack Obama.  Finally, the free world has a leader who is prepared to take action rather than utter words.

Last Friday, President Trump really showed what he is made of.  Following the horrendous chemical weapons attack that was carried out earlier last week by the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against his own people, Trump took a few days to consider the situation and gather the required evidence before striking in retaliation.  The retaliation was not against a violation of any US interest in particular.  The retaliation was rather against the violation of innocent women and children, and against the unacceptable use of chemical weapons.

Over the past few years, the world became used to the Obama style of doing things.  Obama threatened, but never made good on his threats.  So, it comes as no surprise that Assad gambled on the US not responding to this chemical attack.  After all, previous chemical attacks went unanswered.  In fact, it was the deal that was struck during Obama's presidency in 2013, that enabled this chemical attack.  When Obama discovered the extent of the stockpile of Syria's chemical weapons, he decided to cut Assad some slack and allow him a way to diplomatically and elegantly dispose of them.  The deal struck with Syria by negotiation between the USA and Russia involved the dismantling of no fewer than 12 chemical weapons productions facilities, numerous storage locations, a research and development facility and the destruction of thousands of tons of chemical agents.

But, under the noses of the international supervisors, and with the tacit knowledge of Obama and other members of the international community, Assad succeeded in retaining some of these chemical weapons for himself.  It was one of the worst-kept secrets in the Middle East.  The Israeli intelligence community believed that the Assad government retained a "residual" chemical stockpile of somewhere between several hundred kilograms to several tons of chemical weapons, about 1% of its original stockpile.  Obama's reaction was fairly predictable.  He turned a blind eye.  Last week's Sarin attack by Assad is the public evidence of Obama's failed policy.

In taking action in the way that he did, Trump sent out a number of very important messages.  The first was a very clear message to Assad and his army.  This US president will not tolerate bully-boy tactics being employed against innocent women and children, even if he is still in the honeymoon period of his presidency.  And he will not tolerate the use of illegal chemical weapons, even if his predecessor was prepared to turn a blind eye to this.

The second message was sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin.  He has been Assad's patron for a number of years.  Initially, this support was in the form of supplying weapons and vetoing resolutions against Assad at the UN Security Council.  While this support has continued, it has also escalated to include Russian boots on the ground in Syria and Russian warplanes in Syrian air space.  Even though Trump was determined to forge a closer link with Putin when he first entered office, the message to Putin is that everything has changed.  Even Russian support, and the possibility of damaging US relations with Russia will not prevent Trump from taking action against Assad.

The third message was sent to other rogue nations of the world, including Iran and North Korea.  In a similar way to how the deal with Syria was struck, Obama also struck a deal with Iran.  This deal involved nuclear weapons rather than Syria's chemical weapons.  The stakes were much higher, but the lack of backbone on Obama's part was exactly the same.  He decided to strike the deal with Iran despite the obvious signs that Iran was pulling the wool over the eyes of the countries signing the deal.  Despite Obama's attempts to placate Israel and other detractors of the agreement, its blaring shortcomings were obvious to anybody with a mediocre understanding of the situation.  Trump, however, sends a completely different message.  He has started his time in office by questioning the logic of the deal with Iran.  And the attack against the Syrian forces sends an even stronger message that Trump will not tolerate any deception or aggression on the part of Iran, and also North Korea.

For the Israeli government, the intervention is welcome.  Israel is typically a country for whom actions speak louder than words, even if the actions are frequently very quietly done.  It is inconceivable that the Jewish state could idly watch from the sidelines when chemicals are being used to kill innocent women and children.  The memory of the world standing idly by and watching during the Holocaust is still too fresh in our minds.  It is a great dilemma about how to respond to a situation like the chemical attack in Syria.  On the one hand, Israel would wish to respond with force to the use of chemical weapons.  Doing so would, however, seemingly play into Syria's hands, and immediately embroil Israel in the war in Syria.  Given the history of the two countries and the way in which friendships line up, this could potentially involve Iran, Syria and the USA very quickly indeed.  This would escalate to a regional conflict, and perhaps even result in a conflict that goes beyond the regional borders.

Trump's strong message shows decisive leadership, and finally a willingness to confront rogue states head-on.  This is welcome.  While debates and condemnations at the UN and other forums may have their place, action on the ground sends a much stronger and more serious message.   And his action also saved Israel from, once again, having to respond in a way that will not result in a war involving multiple countries.

We watch with bated breath to see how things develop with Iran.

The Russians Have Come

Twenty two years have passed since Natan Sharansky was released by the Soviet authorities and expelled from Russia. He was the most celebrated refusenik, but there were many others in Russia - ordinary men and women who were, perhaps, not as willing as Sharansky to raise their profile and risk imprisonment. It took three years following Sharansky's release for the Soviets to open the doors to these ordinary men and women, and allow them to emigrate. In 2009, we will celebrate 20 years since the Iron Curtain was finally lifted for Soviet Jews and they were allowed to leave Russia.

In the years following 1989, more than 1 million Russians have made Israel their new home. It has not been easy for them, nor for those Israelis who have had to adapt their lives and their country to accommodate a population increase of more than 20% within the space of a few short years. Inevitably, the process of integrating more than a million new immigrants causes friction, and leaves many people feeling unhappy and badly done-by on both sides of the equation.

The Russians have had to deal with many negative accusations by native Israelis over the years. In the first few years of the immigration, many were accused of using Israel as a convenient staging point to ultimately immigrate to other countries, particularly the US. It is true that of the 71,000 Soviet Jews who left Russia in 1989, only 12,500 remained in Israel. They have also been accused of bringing unwanted vices to Israel such as prostitution, alcoholism and Mafia-style gangs. There is no doubt that all of these have been on the increase in Israel over the past twenty years. There has also been a question mark around the dedication of the Russian immigrants to Judaism, and claims that a high proportion of the immigrants are not even Jewish. The Russian community stands accused of using Israel as an economic convenience, and of having no interest in the Jewish identity or values of the State of Israel. Many of those who have come to Israel are the in-law families of people who are not halachically Jewish but, by virtue of having one Jewish grandparent, are eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. Food chains like Tiv Taam, which cater to the Russian eating habits and particularly their search for non-kosher food, have sprung up all around the country. One cannot argue with any of these assertions and accusations.

I feel that, alongside the negative points some of which are mentioned above, there are at least as many positive points to be raised. It is my assertion that the Russian immigration has been a very good thing for Israel and has generated many positive outcomes.

For starters, it has increased the Israeli market by 20% with all that is associated with that. Not only does it create a larger consumer base, it also provides more people to counter the growing Arab population within our borders and a larger pool of people who will fight in the army when called upon to do so.

It has been quoted that a very high proportion of immigrants from the former Soviet Union - around the 80% mark - own the homes in which they live. This signals the economic contribution that Russians have made. Considering most of them arrived in Israel within the last twenty years with little or no financial backing, this is a huge achievement. This means that they have done whatever it takes to become financially independent. Although many of the new immigrants were highly educated, their education was limited to a small number professional categories, most commonly medical professionals, scientists, engineers, academics and musicians. For some such as dentists and doctors, they were obliged to re-qualify in Israel to ensure they were up to the required standard. For others, the language barrier made it very difficult for them to immediately begin working in their field e.g. academics. For a great many others, the Israeli economy was simply unable to absorb all the professionals in that category as the market is too small. This led to many situations where highly educated people were forced to carry out menial tasks, such as cleaning, in order to survive. This did not deter them, and many were known to hold down more than one job in whatever work they could find in order to earn a living. One has to admire this determination and the achievement of getting to such a high level of financial dependency in a short period of time.

Many of the Russian immigrants were trained to an extremely high level in their fields. This is particularly true of scientists, musicians, sports people and performing artists. The Russia in which they grew up demanded and tolerated only the very best and most professional in their fields. Israel has been the grateful beneficiary of these people and the high standards of work that they bring with them. Many of the technical people in Israel's most famous high-tech companies include Russians amongst their number. When examining Israel's representatives at the recent Beijing Olympic games, it will come as no surprise to find out that most of the gymnasts and synchronised swimmers have Russian-sounding surnames. Equally unsurprising is the fact that the most spoken language amongst the musicians in Israel's orchestras is Russian.

As a result of the large number of former Russians based in Israel, it has turned Israel into an attractive tourist destination for Russian visitors. During 2008 so far, Russia has provided the second highest number of inbound tourists to Israel. Admittedly they are not the big spending tourists that are characteristic of American and European visitors, but they bring their welcome clientèle and foreign currency to Israel all the same.

In recent years, Israel seems to have become attractive to the Jewish oligarchs from Russia. This represents something of a doubled-edged sword. On the one hand, many of them have invested heavily in Israel by buying properties and building business empires in Israel. One has gone much further by buying a local soccer club and by undertaking huge charitable projects which have attracted a great deal of media interest and publicity. On the other hand, there are often question-marks around how their money was made, and they usually come with a long list of people that they have made enemies of along the way. This has even included the Russian President who, in turn, has been less friendly to Israel as a result of his perception that Israel is housing one of his sworn enemies and an enemy of the Russian state.

For me, the most important thing is that many Russians who had been forced away from their Jewish roots by an intolerant Soviet regime are now "assimilating" back towards Judaism. Ironically, this includes those who are not halachically Jewish. By default, they study a Jewish syllabus at school, take off Jewish holidays and, despite the fact that their parents may choose to feed them pork bought at Tiv Taam, they are becoming more Jewish than not. They speak Hebrew, at least when not at home, and will serve in the Jewish army when their turn comes.

All of this requires that Israel becomes more tolerant towards the Russian community. Solutions need to be found for many problems which they have presented. Not least of these is how to treat soldiers who are not halachically Jewish and who are killed in action during their service to the Jewish homeland. I have been embarrassed by the reaction so far which, in some cases, has resulted in parents choosing to bury their soldier sons and daughters in Russia rather than in Israel. At least, this guarantees that the appropriate level of respect is accorded to these young men and women. The Israel Defence Force is under an obligation to urgently address this problem with the Rabbinate to allow these young men and women to be accorded the deserved national honour that is bestowed upon their Jewish colleagues.

But this is only a part of the story. Israeli society needs to be more tolerant and welcoming of the Russians. This will allow for their contribution to Israel to be doubled and tripled over the coming years. Although the stereotyping is almost impossible to remove completely, greater acceptance and respect will go a long way.