Israel Ready for war with Iran?

For Israel to carry out an attack on Iranian nuclear sites would have to overcome dissent within his governing coalition, which reflects the fear of people to start a war of unprecedented missile. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said any threat to Israel would be "small" at the prospect of an Iranian nuclear bomb, which he has described as the equivalent of a second Holocaust, in language that seems to announce a call from Jewish State to arms. However, the Conservative leader has not proven to be very persuasive.Although polls indicate that a growing minority of Israelis, who now stands between 32 and 35 percent are in favor of carrying a solo attack against Iran, many more opponents. Meanwhile, around a quarter of the population is undecided on the issue. Some commentators question whether the Jewish state, formed through decades of war, has become more fearful of the consequences of carrying out military action against Iran, a powerful enemy with allied Islamist guerrillas in Lebanon and Gaza could deal it a rain of missiles and rockets in retaliation. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, estimated that about 500 of his countrymen die after an attack on Iran, who has denied trying to develop nuclear weapons. These declines would be painful for a population of 7.8 million, but would not be on the same scale of deaths that left Israel's war of independence of 1948, which was 1 percent of its population, or large losses suffered in similar conflicts in 1967 and 1973. The difference is that this time Israel has about any possible retaliation by Iran, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, Palestinian armed factions and perhaps Syria. A sophisticated missile shield could serve Israel to defend against some attacks, but those who overcome the barriers could potentially cripple its economy. Matan Vilnai, Minister of Civil Defense, told Israeli television Channel 10 that while the home front was not fully prepared for war, expects emergency drills in recent years have been able to help in that regard. Other reasons to resist Israeli war include the current U.S. opposition to join a war against Iran, Washington prefers diplomacy and confidence in Israel's deterrence. It is believed that Israel has the only nuclear arsenal in the region and has killed Iranian scientists through a campaign of sabotage. But tolerance of Israeli casualties, whether civilian or military, may also have declined. Its forces inflicted a death rate of 10 to 1 in the 2006 Lebanon war and a measure of 100 to 1 on the offensive carried out between 2008 and 2009 in the Gaza Strip. Last year, Netanyahu freed more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Gilad Shalit unprecedented, an Israeli soldier held in Gaza. Martin van Creveld, a military historian who is critical of the government's position on Iran Netanyahu poses a deterioration of the suitability of Israel to face an enemy state. "Over 20 years of struggle against the weak has grown up in Israel a disgusting mixture of aggression and self-pity," says Van Creveld, referring to the military victory of the Lebanese and the Palestinians. Van Creveld wonders if the morale of Israel is prepared to assume the costs of a war against Iran. However, Philip Handleman, co-author of "Air Combat Reader - Historic Feats and Aviation Legends", believes that Israel is willing to confront Iran, but lacks the long-range bombers and aircraft refueling available to Americans. "I do not think Israel 'tell' with the subsequent U.S. military intervention, although this could happen. If Israel attacks take place would leave a (...) very basic survival instinct," said Handleman. Israeli public support for a war, once started, will depend on whether the patriotic sentiment swept the undecided and the voltage exceeds a possible Iranian counterattack. Amos Oz, Israeli novelist best known, said that wars are considered necessary only when they can have a broad domestic support. "Everything depends on whether a war has no choice or is it a war of choice," the writer told Reuters. "I think an Israeli strike against Iran would be a mistake because Iran is a world problem," he added.