Israel Turns 59

Hard to believe but 59 years ago the former Palestine was declared the state of Israel by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. President Truman signed into to order shortly thereafter the recognition of Israel as and independent state and thus the beginning of a long and complex friendship.

Since that day in 1948 the Israelis have fought two wars and countless other skirmishes with their neighbors. In each case they have whipped their well funded adversaries and have taken land from them. Memo to the Egyptians: you only have the Sinai back because of their good graces.

While the landscape of the world has changed greatly in the past 59 years the situation that surrounds Israel has not. In some cases it has gotten worse. Yes, Jordan is no longer a threat and Lebanon is a threat only in the fact that Hezebollah calls the shots in the southern part of the country with the impotent government left to watch on the sidelines.

Today the threat comes more from fundamentalism and the rise of Iran and their nutso leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (President). While the President does not technically "run" the country (the mullahs and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei call the shots) his insistent speeches and prognostications that "Israel will be driven into the sea" are making the already touchy Israelis even more concerned. The issue now is will the Israelis go on offense and bomb Iran to stave off their nuclear ambitions.

This would not be the first time Israel has pulled this off. In 1980 Saddam Hussein's nuclear party was officially crashed when Israel bombed its enrichment plant into the ground. Despite attempts, Hussein was never able to get his program back online.

If the Israelis take that tact again it could lead to an even more complex situation in the Middle East. While it's hard not to blame them with this decision the end result could be traumatic for the world at large. The Iranian president is a short timer and the population is primed for revolt. However an attack on Iran could potentially degrade that momentum and set progress back in the Middle East's second most important country.

Their short history has been extraordinary and their struggle well documented. Always quick to defend themselves, they may be wise to learn from their own history and look to diplomacy to solve this current malaise.

Hawk's View: A brief history lesson. On June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serb named Gavrilo Princip. Austro-Hungary declared war on Serbia and Russia, treaty bound, declared war on Austro-Hungary and Germany (allied with Austro-Hungary). The Germans declared war on Russia and their French ally. Thus was the beginning of World War 1. History shows us it doesn't take much (that assassination of the heir to a crumbling dynasty in this case) to prompt great battles. Let us remember that and hope that Israelis do as well in dealing with Iran.