Israeli leaders welcome US Syria strike

ISRAELI leaders across the political spectrum have welcomed the airstrikes on a Syrian base, applauding Donald Trump’s decision to retaliate after the Syrian regime attacked its own people with chemical weapons. 

Jerusalem is outraged by the humanitarian consequences of Syria’s actions, and also fearful about possible use of chemical weapons in the future in ways that could impact Israel. The distance from the airbase that launched the chemical attack to Tel Aviv is less than half the distance from Melbourne to Sydney.

“In words and actions President Trump sent a strong and clear response: The use of chemical weapons is unacceptable,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, of the left-leaning Zionist Union was just as enthusiastic. Herzog said that Trump took his decision “in the right place at the right time.” 

Herzog added: “I hope that such a move will make it clear to the whole region that there are new rules of the game regarding Syria, and perhaps eventually it will trigger the process that will bring an end to the terrible tragedy in Syria, and its rehabilitation.”

As Israelis absorbed the news of the tragedy across the border, they were also dealing with a local tragedy. The family of Elhai Teharlev, 20, had an empty seat at Seder on Monday, after he was killed by a Palestinian man perpetrating a ramming attack. Teharlev was at a junction in the West Bank, near his posting as a soldier, when he was attacked. Hundreds attended his funeral, and his father Ohad Teharlev, described him as “an angel,” while his mother Avital called him a “magical child with a huge soul.”

Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin said: “We have lost today a dear son, Elhai Teharlev, in the State of Israel’s ongoing struggle to ensure its security, and safeguard its citizens,” and said that Israel is facing a “complicated battle in which the home front and the front line are one and the same.” 

When Rivlin paid the family a shiva call on Sunday, the father told him: “Elhai, in his own special way, in his quiet and calm character, brought so much good to so many, and had such an impact on so many people; in his life, and in his death.”

The terrorist, Malek Hammad, 23, had already spent a stint in an Israeli prison for trying to infiltrate a settlement. He was arrested after his fatal attack by Israeli forces – and treated for the light injuries that he sustained. Hamas called his actions “heroic.” 

After this attack, the total number of people killed on the Israeli side in the year-and-a-half since the current wave of Palestinian violence started rose to 48. It was the 57th ramming attack, while there have been 174 stabbings, 143 shootings, and a bus bombing.

On the Syria issue, American Vice President Mike Pence phoned Netanyahu and thanked him – on behalf of Trump – for Israel’s strong support for the American action. 

While Israel has tried for much of the Syrian Civil War to avoid taking a stance on the conflict, this latest development, together with the recent admission that it strikes Syrian targets, marks a new reality in which Israel is aligned with critics of the regime. It is unclear how Israel’s relationship with Russia, an ally of Syria, will be sustained through this new reality.

Several voices in Israel presented America’s strike as a blow to Syria’s ally Iran. The office of Israel’s Minister of Intelligence Israel Katz said that America’s action was an “important step both morally and strategically and a clear signal to the axis led by Iran which supports him.” 

Many Israelis have made donations to Syrian humanitarian causes in the days since the chemical attack, and one campaign, by IsraelGives, was close to reaching its 300,000 shekels ($110,000) target as The AJN went to press. “As Jews and Israelis, we cannot turn away,” said IsraelGives. “Not only is this tragedy happening before our eyes, but it’s happening just across our border.”

Israel’s Holocaust commemoration body joined those expressing alarm about the Syria chemical attack. Yad Vashem’s chairman Avner Shalev spoke of his “deep concern over the appalling evidence of renewed carnage in Syria and the images of massacred children in this turbulent area.” He called on “world leaders and the global community to act now in order to put a stop to the atrocities and avert further suffering.”

While there weren’t significant voices in Israeli politics criticising Trump for the strike, some said that people are going overboard with their praise. “Although international intervention always raises difficult questions, Trump did well to react and make it clear that the use of chemical weapons will not go unchallenged,” said Zehava Galon, leader of the Meretz party. “But the exaggerated enthusiasm for this minimal response is a little ridiculous; the real test of the American administration will be the level of commitment to protect civilians, even at the cost of confrontation with Russia.” 

NATHAN JEFFAY