After America, Where Will Israel Go for Help?

In what could be perceived as another snub from the United States against Israel, a military exercise between the two nations planned for later this year has now been drastically scaled back. Time Magazine reported Friday that the joint exercise, which was previously planned to be the largest ever, has now been significantly reduced.

“The Austere Challenge 12 exercise, to be held in October, was to feature thousands of soldiers and advanced anti-missile defense systems and simulate simultaneous fire from Iran and Syria,” The Times of Israel wrote on Saturday. “But the report quoted sources in Washington as saying only 1,500 U.S. troops—perhaps even 1,200—would be sent to participate in the exercise instead of the original 5,000. In addition, sources in both Jerusalem and Washington told Time that it was probable that only one Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense warship—instead of two—would be sent to Israel.”

One senior Israeli official told Time, “Basically what the Americans are saying is, ‘We don’t trust you.’” Other sources reported that Israel had not received any official notification of a change in the exercise.

While Washington denied that this conveyed any snub toward Israel, and said that the exercises had “not changed in scope,” the report comes at a time when relations between the two countries are already under severe strain.

The decision over whether to take stronger action against Iran’s nuclear program has created a growing rift between the two nations, as Washington insists there is time for diplomacy while Israel is sounding the alarm that time is running out. As chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey said, “We admit that our clocks are ticking at different paces.”

“[O]ne key difference between Israel and the U.S. over Iran,” columnist Dore Gold wrote last week, “is that Washington can wait far longer than Israel before it decides that it has no choice but to use force in order to destroy the Iranian nuclear program.” Gold went on to note that Washington is leaning heavily on its intelligence and air force capabilities to be able to act, if necessary, at the very last minute—once Iran reaches the “nuclear threshold.” Of course, Washington is also less urgent because, unlike Israel, America’s survival is not hanging in the balance.

Even still, there’s a huge risk in accepting a last-minute, nuclear threshold strategy, as Gold points out. “If all that is left to complete an operational nuclear weapon is a few more weeks of work, then letting Iran reach a threshold capacity is very dangerous for obvious reasons: When nuclear breakout occurs, Iran can quickly build a substantial nuclear arsenal,” he wrote (Israel Hayom, August 31).

Now as the Iranian problem continues to drive a wedge between Israel and the United States, you need to keep a close watch on the burgeoning relationship between Israel and Germany. We’ve been telling you about this prophesied development for many years now. It’s based on a prophecy in Hosea 5.

This month, the minister-president of the German state of Lower Saxony will be in Israel to hold political talks and to meet with Israeli officials. In anticipation of his visit, he wrote a revealing opinion piece for Ynet News. “Our visit is aimed at strengthening the bond between the Germans and the Israeli people,” he said. “Germany stands by Israel and consistently defends its security and right to exist. … This position is a cornerstone of German foreign policy.”

And so, as the band between the United States and Israel continues to split apart, watch for this “cornerstone” of German foreign policy to fully emerge out into the open.

For much more on these prophesied developments, read “Israel’s Deadly ‘Wound’.”