Israel's military chief is preparing the next war | Opinion

An excellent article, but criticisms and investigations of Israeli military and political items need to be carefully considered. While equipping and training too aggressively can be a "red flag" to political observers, it must be considered what Israel faces. Israel is surrounded on all sides by neighbors who:

1. Are religiously alien to them
2. Are politically alien to them
3. Are socially alien to them
4. Are environmentally alien to them

This creates dynamics that most nations will not experience. A term we used in the 30's to describe Japan's "rise to war" was "superheating." It seemed that everything Japan was doing/working for was geared towards an obvious path to war. Likewise, we can see the same parallels in Israel with the exception that Israel has to maintain a different stance. Israel not only has to buy/procure/produce weapons but also train with them to the point that potential enemies see it and examine it. In a nutshell: "do I want to go toe-to-toe with the IDF?" These are the questions that must be asked of neighbors and friends alike. Israel does not have defensive depth. A Syrian invasion would be at the coast in under two hours. Likewise, Israeli planes are in enemy airspace virtually minutes after going "wheels up" after take off. So Israel has to portray itself as being uber aggressive.

This also plays into it when all of your neighbors have key issues against you. The area is resource starved so any nation that can drink water, grow crops, etc, is going to have jealous thoughts leveled against it. Israel has successfully done that. Israel also owns/occupies land/items that all of its neighbors want (Jerusalem). So right off the bat - there is an in-grown hatred of Israel from all of its neighbors. And that's before we even get into Islam as a religion/political belief system.

"Well Israel should be the bigger man and"...spoken like true retards. No. Israel does not have the depth to be the bigger man. Israel can't "give them the benefit of the doubt." To assume/feel otherwise is to not know history. And yes - even Jews can be pie-in-the-sky misinformed.