Golda Meir once quipped that when the Arab armies put down their weapons, there will be no more war, but if the Israeli army put down its weapons, there would be no more Israel.
Every military action that Israel has taken, or takes, is done for the purpose of securing the safety of the country, and its people. Each war Israel has fought has been a result of Arab aggression, and Israel’s army is indeed Israel’s Defense Forces.
When Israel has struck abroad, like in 1981 or 2007 when it destroyed Iraq’s and Syria’s nuclear reactors, respectively, it did so to prevent an attack against Israel. Its blockade of Gaza is to prevent rocket and weapon parts from being smuggled into the territory and used to attack Israeli civilians. So too when Israel attacks weapons convoys in foreign countries.
Though many improperly accuse Israel of being a regional aggressor, such allegations are without merit. Israel acts to protect itself and its people, and given the nature of modern warfare, this sometimes involves striking at targets outside of its borders. It has jumped at the opportunity to forge a meaningful peace with any country that will have those relations with them.
