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From: abeles@mhuxm.UUCP (J. Abeles (Bellcore, Murray Hill, NJ))
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Israeli militarism
Message-ID: <511@mhuxm.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 28-Jan-86 10:33:38 EST
Article-I.D.: mhuxm.511
Posted: Tue Jan 28 10:33:38 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Feb-86 10:32:08 EST
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Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
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> > In any case, I would like to point out that Israel is not
> > hostile towards the Arab States except to defend itself,
> AND OCCUPY OR ANNEX ANY PIECE OF ARAB LAND WHENEVER IT GETS A
> CHANCE!
If one acquiesces in the commonly-expressed opinion that
the Israeli military is superior to the combined might of the Arabs'
military, this statement would appear incorrect.  That is because
the Israelis have had many chances to annex "ARAB LAND" (as a
result of that military might) and turned them down.  Try to
remember how Israel occupied the Sinai peninsula three-count'em-three
times and gave it up just to get a piece of paper signed by an
Arab leader.  That piece of paper may not even mean much, but the
Israelis took the intangible promise of peaceful relations for
the tangible property called the Sinai peninsula during the Camp
David negotiations.
> > For those who don't remember the UN Partition plan map,
> > its borders were drawn in many areas using a ruler on
> > a map with no concern for military defense.
> In my opinion, it is this israeli concern for military defense
> which is blocking Israel from seeing the light at the end of the
> tunnel. That concern leads many israeli leaders to adopt the
> axiom "The best defense is the attack or offense". 
As far as "the best defense being a good offense" goes, I think
it is a matter of strategy, almost a matter of semantics.  The
true issue is whether the perceived need for a strong defense
is based on reality, and there it leaves no room for argument; i.e.,
defense definitely is required in a situation where one's enemies
amass troops along your borders periodically, while publicly
proclaiming their ardent desire to see you annihilated!