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Dan Rather: How Israel’s Iron Dome Is Also Saving Palestinian Lives.

There’s been a lot written recently about Iron Dome — Israel’s high-tech missile defense system that hit the world stage during Israel’s eight-day conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Its unprecedented success rate: Intercepting eight out of 10 rockets launched just miles away. Its rapid development: Iron Dome went from idea to operational in less than five years. Its overwhelming U.S. support: Even during massive proposed defense cutbacks, Washington has pledged hundreds of millions to Israel to expand the system.

I’d like to add one more thought to the conversation. In the recent conflict, the Israeli missile defense system may have saved more Palestinian lives than Israelis. To understand my reasoning, take a step back and look at recent history. Since 2007, the Islamist group Hamas has run the densely populated sliver of territory to the south of Israel known as the Gaza Strip. Militants from the territory, in recent years, have launched hundreds of crude rockets, provided by Iran, into southern Israeli towns. In 2008, Israel responded with Operation Cast Lead — A brutal aerial bombardment and ground invasion that left more than 1,000 Palestinians dead and brought Israel widespread condemnation from abroad. November’s conflict left about 150 Palestinians dead.

How do you explain the stark difference in the death toll? One element would be Iron Dome.

Iron Dome wasn’t battle ready until 2009 or 2010. Last year’s conflict was its first wartime test. After Israel assassinated a top Hamas militant responsible for rocket attacks, Hamas rained hundreds rockets into Israel — even as far as Israel’s largest city, Tel Aviv. Thousands of Israeli troops amassed on the border with Gaza. But they never went in. That’s because Iron Dome didn’t just provide Israelis cover from the rockets; it also provided political cover to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate a cease-fire before sending troops in.

“The Israelis over the last half decade or so have learned some pretty stark lessons about the diminishing returns of ground offensives in places like Lebanon, in places like the Gaza Strip,” defense expert Ilan Berman told me, in a segment on Iron Dome that aired Tuesday on Dan Rather Reports on AXS-TV. “And so, Iron Dome gives them that flexibility that they need. They are addressing a security concern. But they’re not addressing it with blunt force in the form of a ground operation. They’re addressing it in a way that preserves their security, but limits collateral damage.” The full broadcast is now available on iTunes.

The rockets from Gaza are dumb — meaning, they cannot be aimed at specific targets. But by launching them in the direction of populated Israeli areas, they do cause terror and disrupt normal life. Imagine hearing the roar of air raid sirens while your children are at school. It’s unlikely you’ll bring them to school the next day.

When the rockets rain into Israel, the Israeli public demands quick and forceful action from their government. But less so when the rockets pose less of a threat. And in November, Iron Dome intercepted 80 percent of the rockets in mid-air. Youtube is filled with video shot during this recent conflict by Israelis who, rather than running for their ubiquitous bomb shelters, stood ground to watch Iron Dome at work.

The Israeli defense establishment is famously secretive, but not about Iron Dome. The Israelis have invited a parade of news media from around the world to film the interceptor launch sites, interview Iron Dome’s battery operators and the engineers who developed it. This makes a lot of sense. The more Israel’s enemies believe in Iron Dome’s infallibility, the less likely they are to waste money and time smuggling and launching rockets. It’s a strategy of defensive deterrence. And for the Palestinians, that beats the alternative: Israel’s longstanding strategy of deterrence through overwhelming force, as we saw in Cast Lead. Sadly, hundreds, even thousands, of Palestinians and Israelis will die until a permanent peace is reached — and today that looks like a pipe dream. But in the short run, Iron Dome may save a few lives on both sides.

Dan Rather is anchor and managing editor of AXS TV’s Dan Rather Reports (Tuesdays, 8 p.m. ET on AXS TV). For more, visit Dan Rather Reports, Dan Rather’s Official website, Dan Rather Reports on Facebook and Dan Rather Reports on Twitter. This episode is also available on iTunes.

State Department refuses to delay F-16 Delivery to Egypt | Washington Free Beacon.

AP

BY: Adam Kredo
January 22, 2013 4:01 pm

The State Department has refused to cancel or delay the delivery of several American-made F-16 fighter jets to Egypt, claiming that the arms deal serves America’s “regional security interests,” according to an official State Department document obtained by the Free Beacon.

The news that the Obama administration would uphold an aid package to Egypt that included the military hardware prompted concern on Capitol Hill from lawmakers who said the deal was not prudent given the political situation in Egypt, where Muslim Brotherhood-backed President Mohammed Morsi has clashed with democratic protestors.

“Sixteen F-16s and 200 Abrams tanks are to be given to the Egyptian government before the end of the year under a foreign aid deal signed in 2010 with then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak,” Fox News reported Tuesday.

The State Department maintained in a January 8 letter to Sen. James Inhofe (R., Okla.) that the arming of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood serves the U.S.’s “regional security interests.”

“Delaying or cancelling deliveries of the F-16 aircraft would undermine our efforts to address our regional security interests through a more capable Egyptian military and send a damaging and lasting signal to Egypt’s civilian and military leadership as we work toward a democratic transition in the key Middle Eastern State,” the State Department said.

“Egypt is a strategic partner with whom we have a long history of close political-military relations that have benefited U.S. interest,” said the letter, which was authored by assistant secretary for legislative affairs David Adams. “For the past 30 years the F-16 aircraft has been a key component of the relationship between the United States military and the Egyptian Armed Forces.”

“Maintaining this relationship and assisting with the professionalization and the building of the Egyptian Armed Forces’ capabilities to secure its borders is one of our key interests in the region,” Adams wrote.

“Egypt continues to play an important role in the regional peace and stability,” according to the letter. “In all of our engagements with President Morsi and his staff, they have reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to its international agreements, including its peace treaty with Israel.”

“Egypt was instrumental in negotiating the Gaza ceasefire, and continues to work with the parties involved to implement it and secure a more lasting peace,” the letter states.

Morsi was recently criticized for calling Jews the “descendants of apes and pigs.”

Observers on Capitol Hill said that it is dangerous to arm an unstable Islamist regime.

One senior GOP aide familiar with the deal said he is ”incredulous that a country that doesn’t have peace and stability within itself is playing ‘an important role in regional peace and stability’ as this letter claims.”