by Henry Selzer BA LLB LLM

Created on: June 20, 2009   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

The overwhelming support of Israel by the United States under the Bush administration was not guarded and often transcended the purported obligations of the leader of the free world, to act as a neutral and unbiased diplomatic force in foreign matters of state. It was a certainty that America under President Barack Obama would respect all nations, tolerate all ideologies and importantly, for Israel, demand a peaceful outcome to the Israeli-Palestine standoff.

The forewarning of the policies of an Obama administration was made known on the Barack Obama web site during the 2008 United States election. Understandably, Israel chose to reduce the military prowess of Hammas at the end of 2008 prior to Barack Obama being sworn in as President of the United States.

The 2008 Israeli attacks on the Palestinians, targeted Hammas radicals. Unlike the propaganda disseminated by the media, the Israeli attacks on Hammas, emanated from a legitimate concern that Israel had over the daily Fattah attacks on Israel at the hands of Hammas and Hezbollah militants, who conveniently staged these attacks from within the confines of Palestinian civilian abodes. There was no time to waste nor any point in addressing the concerns of Israel by diplomatic means.

The deterrence of Fattah attacks in the long term would have yielded Israel a clear military and strategic advantage and in order to do this, Israel would have had to strike first. Although Israel has a lethal military force in the region including nuclear weapons, these weapons exist for self-defense.

The imminence of the threat of Hammas or Hezbollah waging Fattah attacks against Israel and the threat of loss of lives of Israelis was clear. The daily attacks via rockets from Hammas militants evidenced an instant threat. In the eyes of the Israeli leadership, the future threats of Fattah attacks was not only high but a real likelihood demonstrated from Israel's experiences in this regard. The overwhelming probability of the threat of Fattah attacks was certain, based on history and the territorial dispute over the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights.

There was no viable alternative and the delay in launching the attack arguably would have no difference but at the same time, when would the opportune time then have arisen, for a first strike to pre-empt the escalation of territorial disputes and Fattah attacks. Further, the adversaries of Israel were unmoved by diplomatic efforts and the mutually exclusive nature of the opposing

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