79-15-4
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Israel II[edit]
Transcript[edit]Our own policymakers have yet to grasp the fact that territorial disputes among Arab states are persistent. Ethnic and religious rivalries abound. Conservative and radical attitudes regarding social change are constantly in conflict. The tragedy of the Lebanese civil war and the border war between the two Yemens earlier this year are two cases in point. The existence of Israel has served as a bastion of liberal democracy in the heart of the area. Our own position would be weaker without the political and military assets Israel provides. Yet, America's own policymakers downgrade Israel's geopolitical importance as a stabilizing force and as a military offset to the Soviet Union. The fall of Iran has increased Israel's value as perhaps the only remaining strategic asset in the region on which the United States can truly rely. Israel's strength derives from the reality that her affinity with the West is not dependent on the survival of an autocratic or capricious ruler. Israel has the democratic will, national cohesion, technological capacity and military fiber to stand forth as America's trusted ally. With a democratic political system like our own we need have no fear of Israel's political stability or of the rise of a radical anti-American leadership at her helm. Her intelligence services provide critical guidance to ongoing regional development, the technical know-how of her specialists could be used to service American equipment in a crises, and her facilities and airfields could provide a secure point of access if required at a moment of emergency. Further, Soviet planners must constantly take into account the effective dominance of the Israeli forces especially it? air force. In a moment of crises the knowledge that this air force can create a "zone of danger" and uncertainty to the U.S.S.R must greatly restrict Soviet options and thereby facilitate the tasks of American planners. Egypt--friendly to us--may well be able and prepared to take a front-line position in defense of Western security interest. To the extent that it can participate, so much the better. But it cannot substitute for a strong Israel in the ever-turbulent Middle East. So it seems foolhardy to risk weakening our most critical remaining regional strategic asset through building the basis for a radical Palestinian state on her borders or through providing her with insufficient military assistance. If we were to pursue such a course, the task of Kremlin planners would be greatly eased and a determined barrier to Soviet expansionism in the region would have been withdrawn. Only by full appreciation of the critical role the state of Israel plays in our strategic calculations can we build the foundation for thwarting Moscow's designs on· territories and resources vital to our security and our national well-being. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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