Global Journal of Human Social Science, F: Political Science, Volume 22 Issue 5

Israel obviously hopes that the current Syrian regime will be replaced by a moderate “Sunni” one close to Saudi Arabia that can spearhead the confrontation with Iran and Hizballah . 31 Michael Hertzog, former military secretary to Minister of Security Shaul Mofaz and office director to former Minister of Defence Ehud Barak, for example, proposed that an international force intervene in support of regional elements, backing the opposition and expediting the Syrian regime’s downfall . 32 Former commander of military intelligence and current political affairs Head of Section at the Ministry of Security, Amos Yadlin maintains that, the Arab Spring having weakened the radical anti-Israel axis, Israeli should intervene militarily in Syria in order to oust Assad and halt his killing spree against his own citizens. 33 Assad’s fall not only serves Israeli interests but also constitutes a moral responsibility—even when not supported by any international consensus . 34 Prof. Moshe Ma’oz, expert in Syria’s modern history, biographer of Hafez al-Assad, former chairman of the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University, and former advisor to the Israeli government, is unconcerned by the Islamist rise to power. Citing the “enemy of my enemy is my friend” principle, he argues that Israel can turn this state of affairs to its benefit. If Israel responds to the Arab peace initiative and resolves the Palestinian conflict, it can develop a strategic coalition with the Espoused by a high-profile Israeli military official, this perspective evinces that the primary factor determining Israel’s position towards the Syrian crisis has been the strategic threat posed by Hizballah. As long as Syria serves as a stronghold, arms supplier, and devoted ally of the terror organization, a simple calculation demonstrates that the downfall of the regime in Syria will strike a severe blow at Hizballah. Israel would then find it easy to confront the latter, the balance of power between them having become completely disproportionate. When Israelis look at Syria, their focus lies on Lebanon, the Hizballah presence therein constituting a strategic threat to Israel’s security and stability. The fall of the Syria regime would also inevitably remove the Syrian link from the “axis of evil,” ultimately undermining and backing Iran in its own backyard—i.e., the Gulf region. 31 In this context, see former military intelligence officer Eran Lerman’s hypothesis regarding “states of stability” in Shlomo Prom and Ophir Winter, Developing a Regional Alliance against Israel: Obstacles and Warning Signals (Hebrew); p. 44. Ophir Winter, ed., No One is Infallible (Tel Aviv: Institute for National Security Studies. 2019), 44 (Hebrew). 32 Michael Hertzog, “Grabbing the opportunity in Syria,” Haaretz , 18 June, 2012 (Hebrew). 33 B. Feller, “Amos Yadlin: The Arab Spring is more opportunity than risk,” Ynet , 28 August, 2011: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0 ,7340,L- 4088468,00.html (Hebrew). 34 Elhanan Miller, “Ex-intel chief: Israel should punish Assad for killing civilians,” Times of Israel , 13 May, 2014. Sunnite Arab States to counter the Iranian threat in the region. This will only work on the basis of the two-state solution and Saudi peace initiative, however . 35 With respect to Syria, Ma’oz argues that the assumption of power by the Muslim Brotherhood’s in the event of the fall of the Ba’ath regime would pose no threat to Israel, the movement being likely to join the forum of moderate Islamic states—including Indonesia, Turkey, and Tunisia—who side with the West. Most importantly, any regime it might form would undoubtedly be at odds with Hizballah and Iran, both of which back the Ba’ath regime. If the Muslim Brotherhood took power in Syria, Syria could become part of a regional coalition consisting of Turkey and Saudi Arabia—and perhaps even Israel—dedicated to stemming the Shi’ite tide . 36 This security-military logic is not the only factor that explains the Israeli establishment’s positive response to the outbreak of the Syrian revolution and Syria’s slide towards civil war, the ideological element also playing a major role. As Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence, Avigdor Lieberman repeatedly called on the international community to intervene in Syria and put an end to the bloodbath, further proposing that Israel provide a safe haven for Syrian refugees along the border. 37 In July 2017, he declared that Israel could not allow the regime to continue because “as long as Assad is in power, Iran and Hizballah will remain in Syria.” 38 Yuval Benziman of the Hebrew University holds that the “Arab Spring” introduced the idea that the Middle East is divided between the axis of evil (Iran and its regional allies and radical Islamic organizations) and the axis of moderates (primarily the Sunni Gulf monarchies) . 39 This Israeli sense of schadenfreude and sympathy for the uprising, was manifested par excellence by former Director of General Intelligence Avi Dichter in a recorded TV appeal to the Syrian people: “I am distraught over the world’s silence regarding the heinous crimes committed by the Syrian forces against innocent citizens.” Rhetorically questioning Arab and Western power“Where is the Arab nation? Where is the Arab League? Where are the millions? Where is the United Nations?”—he also apologized to the Syrian people for Israel’s failure to intervene in well-known regional causes . 40 35 Moshe Ma’oz, Political Islam and the Arab Spring: The Israeli Discourse following the Arab Spring (Tel Aviv: Mitvim), 4 (Hebrew). 36 Ibid, 5 ‒ 6. 37 Minister of Foreign Affairs, “The Massacre in Syria is Unbearable,” 4 March, 2014 : http://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/234512 ( Hebrew). 38 Jerusalem Post , 2 July, 2017. 39 Yuval Benziman, “Netanyahu’s Attempt to Delink Arab-Israeli Relations from the Palestinian Issue,” in Israel’s Relations with Arab Countries: The Unfulfilled Potential , ed. Roee Kibrik, Nimrod Goren, and Merav Kahana-Dagan (Tel Aviv: Mitvim, 2020), 17: https://tinyurl. com/y79wcthm (Hebrew). 40 Avi Dichter, “The Arab world is ignoring the Syrian people”: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rGhmcZu6Iw (Arabic). © 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue V Version I 30 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 F Israel, the Syrian Crisis and the Unbreakable Lebanese Syndrome