JERUSALEM
(AP) -- Behind an official wall of silence, Israel is signaling it wants
the U.S. to strike Syria sooner rather than later, fearing that
continued inaction could hurt American credibility in the region.
Yet
at the same time, Israel appears to have little desire to see Syrian
President Bashar Assad toppled, on the theory that a familiar foe is
preferable to some of those who might replace him, especially the
Islamist extremists who are increasingly powerful in the rebellion.
These
contradictory forces have put Israel in a delicate position as the U.S.
contemplates military action. In public, Israeli leaders have said
little about President Barack Obama's handling of the Syria crisis. But
following his decision over the weekend to postpone military action by
seeking the backing of Congress, the signs of confusion and
consternation appear clear.
"I have full faith
in President Obama's moral and operational stance. I recommend
patience," President Shimon Peres said in a radio interview Monday,
seeking to calm a nervous public. "I am confident that the United States
will respond in the right way to Syria."
Israeli
leaders have been careful about voicing their thoughts about what the
U.S. should do, wary of creating any perception that they are meddling
in either American politics or the civil war in neighboring Syria.
On
Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuked a junior Cabinet
minister who publicly criticized Obama. In a radio interview, Housing
Minister Uri Ariel compared the American foot-dragging to Western
inaction during the Holocaust. He also said American inaction sent a
message to terrorists and hostile governments that there was no price to
pay for using nonconventional weapons.
Netanyahu
ordered his Cabinet to keep their opinions to themselves, stressing the
need to behave "responsibly" at such a sensitive time.
But
in a meeting last week with the visiting French foreign minister,
Netanyahu himself called for a tough response to Syria, saying the
world's reaction to the use of chemical weapons would have deeper
implications for the international handling of Iran's nuclear program.
Israel,
along with many Western countries, believes Iran is pursuing nuclear
weapons, and Netanyahu has repeatedly raised concerns that international
pressure to curb the Iranian nuclear program has been insufficient.
"Assad's
regime has become a full Iranian client and Syria has become Iran's
testing ground," Netanyahu said. "Now the whole world is watching. Iran
is watching and it wants to see what would be the reaction on the use of
chemical weapons."
For this reason, many
Israelis reacted with disappointment after Obama announced over the
weekend that he would seek a congressional vote before a use of force
against Assad. Israeli newspapers and commentators criticized the
American leader for appearing weak and indecisive.
"You can't count on someone who isn't sure of himself," said Hanna Tzikli, a resident of northern Israel.
Israelis
have expressed their desire for American action with a mixture of moral
and strategic concerns. Watching civilians die from poisonous gas is
painful in a country built on the ashes of the Holocaust, in which the
Nazis sent countless Jewish victims to their deaths in gas chambers.
It
has also sharpened concerns that Assad might one day use these weapons
on Israel. Special gas-mask distribution centers have been flooded with
nervous people in recent days seeking to get their protection kits.
"If
he used chemical weapons against his own people, he'd have no problem
using them against others," said Oded Eran, a senior researcher at the
Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank.
Still,
the operating assumption appears to be that a U.S. strike would not
necessarily precipitate a Syrian reprisal against Israel. With Assad
believed to be gaining the upper hand in the war, Israeli decision
makers suspect he would be careful not to weaken his military by opening
up a new front against a strong rival.
Israeli
lawmaker Nachman Shai said American credibility was on the line since
Obama long ago said that Syria's use of chemical weapons was a "red
line" that could not be crossed. Similarly, Obama has promised Israel
that he will never allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.
"We
are watching America carefully. We rely on America on all fields of
life, especially now when it comes to Iran," said Shai, a former chief
military spokesman who now sits on parliament's Foreign Affairs and
Defense Committee. "We need to know that on D-Day we have America next
to us."
Shai, a member of the opposition Labor
Party, nonetheless praised Netanyahu's handling of the crisis so far.
While Israel has a clear interest in how America responds in Syria, he
said it is essential Israel avoid any perception of interfering in
American decision-making.
Israel has not taken
sides in the Syrian conflict, and Shai said it has no interest in doing
so now. He said any American attack should deliver a "strong message"
to Assad but should not seek to change the course of the fighting or
oust the Syrian leader.
If Israel could be
guaranteed that Assad would be replaced by a stable government that
controlled the entire territory and the myriad of groups operating
within it, it may be inclined to wish for his ouster, Eran said. But
even though Syria and Israel are bitter enemies, the Assad family has
kept the Israel front quiet for nearly all of the past 40 years - and
many Israelis view Assad, a known quantity, as preferable to the
Islamist factions, some of which are affiliated with al-Qaida, trying to
oust him.
"It's hard to identify who are the
good guys and who are the bad guys. Probably they are all bad guys,"
Shai said. "The interest of Israel is that no one will attack Israel and
we will not be involved in any way."
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