A wider war ?

It looks like the war in the Middle East is about to take on a new dimension.   The militants in Gaza have acquired rockets with a far greater range and for the first time both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem can come under attack.  There is every chance that this rocket war may escalate to the point that all of Israel could take fire from the two Palestinian enclaves within the country.  The ramifications will obviously spill over into the standoff between the United States and Iran.

The western world is convinced that Iran is enriching uranium with the intent to develop nuclear weapons.It's leaders have publicly announced that it is their intention to " wipe Israel off the map " and it is now evident that they are the source of the enhanced rocket weapons being used from the Palestinian territories.

The M-75 is an Iranian developed rocket missile that is being manufactured in Iran and shipped via the tunnel system linking Gaza with Egypt.   The Egyptian leader, Mohammad Morsi has stated his support for the Palestinian cause and it can be expected that Egypt will not hinder the transfer of these rocket parts across it's borders.

The strategy behind these rocket attacks seems to be to unite the Arab world behind the Palestinian cause - and that seems to be working.   Israel is poised to send troops into Gaza to shut down the rocket sites and across the world Muslims are demonstrating i n support of the Palestinians.  They simply ignore the fact that no country can countenance attacks on it's citizens without launching a response.   The Israeli's are accused of targeting women and children.  The fact that these Palestinian rockets are harming Israeli women and children is ignored.

The fact that Iran has chosen to involve itself in the Palestinian question will strengthen United States resolve to deny it access to nuclear weapons.  The Iranians are utterly unpredictable and should they equip Hamas or other Palestinian insurgents with a nuclear weapon there is no doubt that it would be used against the Jewish state.  If that happened, a nuclear war would be inevitable.

This is fast developing into a high stakes poker game, and the pool on the table is growing very fast on a daily basis.   The danger is that moderates in surrounding Muslim countries may be outflanked in the hysteria generated by this military action, leading to fundamentalists gaining control in places like Syria and Libya.  If that happens, all hope of a democratic Middle East emerging from chaos and dictatorships will be lost.

Sanctions have crippled the Iranian economy, but it seems likely that enriching sufficient uranium to make at least some nuclear weapons is imminent.   The US election is over, and as a result the president's action options are now less restricted.   In the past few days the world has become a much more dangerous place.

It seems to be a matter of " who blinks first " - and both sides are not in the business of blinking !  It will take herculean efforts by world leaders to lead the way out of this mess without a wider war.   The pages of history will record whether or not they were up to that task !