Israel: "Who? Me?"

Vox Day cites to an article from the Israel Hayom news site, entitled "Who really dragged whom into the war with Iran?" The author, Danny Zaken, claims that Israel and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, are not to blame for the war with Iran. Rather, he blames U.S. Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. Briefly, as Zaken summarizes in his conclusion, he contends:

The pointing of the finger at Israel as the party that pushed the US into the strike is therefore only partially correct. In practice, this was a purely American decision, based on an understanding that the regime poses a threat to America and the entire West, and certainly to US interests in the Middle East. Israel assisted with precise intelligence, on the nuclear and missile programs, on Iranian attacks against American targets, and on what happened during and after the protests. The clear convergence of interests with the US is what brought about the joint war, even if its end remains unclear.     

But Israel did more than provide intelligence--it led the charge of the actual attacks. 

    Day sees Zaken's article as a sign that the war is not going well, writing:

    I find this version of events less interesting for its attempt at revising history and more useful for indicating that at least some of the parties responsible for the war are attempting to avoid being held culpable for it, which is a very reliable indicator that the war failed to accomplish their goals and is expected to be considered something that is worthy of blame rather than praise.

    This, in turn, indicates that everyone involved in prosecuting it is going to be highly motivated to bring it to an end sooner rather than later. ...

    I have the impression, although it may be wrong, that Day believes that Zakem is predicting the fallout will be throughout the whole of the West--that is, all national leaders will be excoriated by their respective citizens. But Zakem's audience isn't the world, as a whole, but Israel. Thus, the fallout which Zakem foresees is not necessarily one applicable to all leaders in the West, but may be limited to Israel's military and political leadership. And it may be tied to the comments I noted earlier today from Netanyahu wanting to end Israel's reliance on U.S. financial aid. 

    That is, it suggests to me that however this war ends, it is going to cause a lot of backlash against Netanyahu inside Israel and he is trying to get out ahead of it. Here are two possibilities, although there may be more. First, he may be looking at a backlash because the war didn't accomplish Israel's war goals, and he intends to blame the U.S. for tying his hands, which was only possible because the U.S. holds the purse strings. Or, second, he may be facing backlash for declining support for Israel, for which he will blame the U.S. while at the same time weening Israel from its dependence on U.S. tax dollars for fear that the aid might be suddenly cut off by a future Congress or President that feels no obligation to subsidize Israel and its military. Or both. 

    In relation to this discussion, I would point out this piece by James Howard Kunstler, "The Earth Moves Just a Bit," which paints a far different picture of how the war is going:

Expect a consequential week. The Persian Gulf remains closed and colossal oil slicks leak out of Kharg Island while Iran blusters and stomps its feet. No one can even try to buy its oil anymore, not even China. The sanctions are too onerous. Iran’s wells must be shut in now. Imagine how the production chiefs out in the oil fields are howling at their insane IRGC overseers. Iran has no economy left operating. Iran’s domestic security force, the Basij (Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz’afin, or “Mobilization of the Oppressed”) is strangling anyone who expresses discontent in the streets, not a good look for a regime that can’t survive without the pretense of popular support.