No Harpoons for Egypt (Part II, The Strategic Picture)
Israel is surrounded by land on three sides, the sea on the fourth. To the north are Lebanon and Syria, hostile themselves and permitting Iran to maintain a missile force in central Lebanon and support for Hizbullah terrorists in the south. Immediately on the east is the Palestinian Authority, with 50,000 men formally under arms (15,000 illegally) and Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist forces. Jordan, at peace with Israel, but threatened by Syria and the PA, is also on the east. Beyond Jordan are Iraq and Iran, with WMD and ballistic missile programs.
Israel is surrounded by land on three sides, the sea on the fourth. To the north are Lebanon and Syria, hostile themselves and permitting Iran to maintain a missile force in central Lebanon and support for Hizbullah terrorists in the south. Immediately on the east is the Palestinian Authority, with 50,000 men formally under arms (15,000 illegally) and Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist forces. Jordan, at peace with Israel, but threatened by Syria and the PA, is also on the east. Beyond Jordan are Iraq and Iran, with WMD and ballistic missile programs. To the south is Gaza, a hotbed of terrorist activity, and Egypt, formally at peace with Israel, but…
Egypt has spent the past two decades transforming from a Russian-equipped and trained military to an American-equipped one, and has practiced “bridging” military exercises to cross a water barrier (the Suez Canal, to bring forces into the Sinai DMZ). Egypt has an active chemical weapons program and has concluded a deal with North Korea to import the 1000 km range Rodong missile and manufacturing technology. It was a ringleader at the anti-Semitic Durban cabal. Its government counsels Arafat to take a hard line in talks with Israel and its army smuggles weapons and ammunition into Gaza. Egypt declined to participate actively in the current war, and announced that whatever cooperation it has extended will end if we begin Stage II. The government-controlled press contends that the Mossad blew up the WTC with no evidence that Muslims were involved at all.
It is to Egypt that the Administration wants to sell the Harpoon Block II surface-to-surface missile. According to its website:
Harpoon features autonomous, all-weather, over-the-horizon capability,and is capable of executing both land-strike and anti-ship missions. The 500-pound blast warhead delivers lethal firepower against a wide variety of land-based targets, including coastal defense sites, surface-to-air missile sites, exposed aircraft, port/industrial facilities and ships in port. For conventional anti-ship missions… the GPS/INS improves mid course guidance to the target area.”
Egypt faces no military threat and participates in no military coalition. It has no need to mount a naval attack against shore targets “including coastal defense sites.” Israel, on the other hand, can’t ignore the possibility of war with Egypt, and has to take seriously any change in the military balance in the Mediterranean, Israel’s fourth border, the sliver along which 80% of the population resides (“land-based targets”), and the only source of strategic depth.
Harpoon Block II enhances Egypt’s naval capabilities, enabling the opening of a new front. This would be a clear erosion of the qualitative edge the US has pledged to help Israel maintain – but which our government has been eroding for years through high-tech military sales to Arab countries east of Israel. We cannot erode Israel’s position on its western border at the same time. Egypt is bellicose and unhelpful, overtly threatening to America’s democratic friend and partner Israel. Congress and the Administration should not help Egypt maintain that position. Harpoon should be stopped.