Biden, Israel and Iran

On Sunday, Vice President Biden, in an interview on ABC-TV, responding to a question on the possibility of Israel attacking Iran's nuclear facilities said, "Israel can determine for itself - it's a sovereign nation - what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else."

On the surface, Biden's statement does not appear inflammatory as he's not saying he advocates Israel attack Iran, but considering he is the Vice President of the U.S., it was a careless statement, in essence saying the U.S. is neutral as to Israeli intentions regarding Iran, which is hardly the case.

This may be Biden being Biden, known as he is for making rash, ill considered, off the cuff remarks that require clarification later. They did prompt the White House to say Biden's remarks did not signal a shift in U.S. policy. In a separate interview, President Obama said diplomacy was still the U.S. option with regards to Iran.

But consider the extreme emnity and hostility between Israel and Iran and the current Israeli leadership.The new hard right Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanjahu and his ultra right foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, have in the recent past, not been shy in expressing their desire to confront Iran and attack their nuclear facilities. Netanyahu has indicated that if the Obama diplomatic approach doesn't get the Iranian's to abandon their nuclear plans, Israel intends to act, if need be on its own. In this context, Biden's remarks were incendiary, reinforcing the Israeli leaders' ideas of preemptive aggression toward Iran. In fact Lieberman said of Biden's statement it was "logical."

Let's be clear, an Israeli preemptive attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would have disastrous consequences. Even the supremely incompetent George W. Bush, in what may have been his finest hour, refused to accede to Israeli wishes to attack Iran when he was persuaded by American military commmanders an Israeli attack on Iran would further destablize Iraq and its majority Shiite population would be drawn to side with their religious brethren against the American occupation. Thus Bush did not give the go ahead to Israel's planned attack.

Iran is now in the throes of its own political turmoil after the disputed reelection of President Ahmadinejad. Any preemptive attack on Iran by Israel would effectively cripple Iran's opposition that favors democracy over oppressively strict Islamic rule and unite the country in a nationalistic reaction, while assuring a retaliatory strike against Israel. Disruption of oil supplies would likely occur, particularly the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, where 1/3 of the world's oil passes. And of course, the likely uprising of Iraqi Shiites.

All the world would rightly link the U.S. as a sponsor and collaborator to an Israeli attack on Iran and with it be the catalyst to ignite terrorism beyond anything the world has seen. Lastly, the world's present economic malaise could accelerate into a world wide depression; hardly "collatoral damage."

The Obama administration, including a chastened Biden, must do everything to prevent an Israeli attack on Iran. Israel will not act independently of U.S. agreement. Such agreement should not be forthcoming.

Views expressed on this page are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Campaign for America's Future or Institute for America's Future