Imagine that over the last twenty years China has been sponsoring drug cartels in the Northern quarter of Mexico. With that support, those cartels have grown into a single empire which is well-armed and relentless in its attacks on the USA. In the last year, they have fired more than 8,000 rockets across the border into Texas and California, randomly striking schools, homes, shopping centres and hospitals.
The UN has issued a resolution saying the cartels are a terror organisation, and that Mexico must not permit them to use its territory to attack its neighbours. The Mexican government alternates between claiming it is doing its best to control them, and saying they are welcome guests, and an important part of Mexico’s economy.
The USA has tried every diplomatic measure possible. Over the last few years more than 60,000 Texans and Californians have been forced to leave their homes. As well as a tragedy for them, it leaves the border less defensible, as homes, farms and defence installations are destroyed or abandoned. Over the last few months the cartels have intensified their attacks, and intelligence reports indicate the China is providing them with heavier weapons in preparation for a major attack on towns and cities near the border.
What should the USA do? One of the reasons the US has been slow to respond is that the cartels hide weapons in civilian locations. One scenario would be to make sure the people of Mexico know that the US does not regard them as the enemy – just the cartels, and those who support them in their attacks, whether individuals or countries.
Haifa in Northern Israel.
The US could warn civilians in the North of Mexico that it can not longer tolerate the level of aggression and harm to its citizens, warn them that it intends to conduct targeted strikes against known cartel personnel and locations, and advise them to leave. It could offer to provide support, medical assistance, food and shelter to those who do.
Imagine that having done all this, and begun its push back against the terrorists, the USA is called out as the aggressor, and told to cease its attacks against a harmless neighbour. What would you think? What would you have done?
Now swap China for Iran, Lebanon for Mexico, Hezbollah for drug cartels. If you were making decisions about defending your people, either as the USA or Israel, what would you do?
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