Western Perceptions of Israel's Strategic Significance.

H. A. Yahya  - Professor of Sociology

The Middle East countries or as some like to call it (West Asia) includes countries like    Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and the Gulf States)  is claimed by westerners politicians as an area engulfed in greater violence and instability than ever before.  Without asking why? As the west see it is because of the  failed or failing governments the control of Arab countries is shifting to the hands of Islamist fundamentalist armed militias or similar militant organisations.  Therefore, West Asia is in a state of violence turmoil and radically opposed to the United States and the West. In fact, states like Syria and Iran are the most vulnerable and perceived threats by employing proxies like the Hezbollah and Hamas to keep the United States diverted and occupied in other theatres. While this is a false perception promoted in the west through media and politics, it is an ample danger to those who perceive it that way. Because they find that Israel has strategic significance in the region. Talks are circulated recently among political leaders in the EU-NATO and USA political leaders that Israel is a crucial ally in the Middle East, therefore, it should be supported militarily and politically. Nothing wrong with that if Israel is the ONLY strategic significance for the west in the region.  I mean by the term "West" here, the EU and USA represented by the NATO forces. Some commentators bring several points show the  strategic significance of Israel to EU-USA and NATO security and I will rebottle each observation on logical grounds.

1. In terms of location: East Mediterranean controlled by Israel, is crucial to secure West Asia to be part of the EU and NATO security plans.  Such location squarely between three continents. This is not true because there is a number of nations have the same location where they are able to play the role of Israel in the Arab and Muslim nations to defend the western hemisphere, like Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States, Egypt and the future Palestinian State.  They were supportive in the two Gulf wars initiated by the EU-NATO and USA forces.
2. Israel helps the west to stop the continuity of a hostile anti-West East Mediterranean region. This is also not true, causes of hostility are obvious, which is the long due supporting Israel five millions nation against over the one billion Muslim people, which cannot be understood from politicians, if the Muslim world was having fruitful diplomatic and military relations, which is already found in several Arab and Muslim countries.  Why the EU-NATO and USA do not make such hostility into friendship and allies. 
3. In terms of allies: Israel is the only state that the United States and EU-NATO have as ally in the West Asia region which is believed to be hostile against the West. This is not true too allies in the two gulf wars is evidence of non-hostile nations:  Saudi Arabia, Gulf states, Jordan, Iraq, even Syria and Egypt Pakistan and Turkey?]
4. In terms of military strength and reputation of Israel as a powerful nation in the region to defend its national security has prevented a take over of the East Mediterranean region by Islamist religious militias of the Hezbollah and Hamas.  This reason is insignificance, Such Israeli power will not stay for long, or forever. It would be changing the perceptions of Muslims towards the west [EU-NATO and USA-Australia and Canada] from negative to positive by not depending on Israeli power. In the long run, making the Muslim world allies to the west is much beneficial to the west than hostility which is created by powering Israel to defeat the Arabs and Muslims and steal their dignity.
5. Israel is the only island of stability in West Asia as as the only  democracy and with similar values of political liberalist institutions. This not true, Democracy of Israel is for Jews only, and it was described as aprtheid system especially after the cemented wall between Palestinians and Jews, and the inhuman discrimination against Israeli Arab Palestinians.  
6. Finally, in terms of a strategic sense, Israel guards the "Eastern Approaches" to EU-NATO countries and also provides a base for Western military operations. Let me ask here, what about Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait  and Bahrain? What about Egypt, Syria, Jordan Pakistan, Turkey, and even Iran in recent history. They host military grounds in some of  them, Qatar and UAE are  vital to EU-NATO to play the role of Israel? (741 words)

** Hasan Yahya is a columnist at worldfutures.inf, Malaysia, and TINA International News Agency, Chicago, USA.