Report: Israel More Secure in Wake of Peace, Iraqi Defeat

The Middle East Peace process and Iraq’s defeat in the Persian Gulf war have made Israel more secure than ever, according to a recent Defense Department report.

Israel’s defense forces and capabilities also give it a military advantage over its Arab neighbors, said the report, “United State Security Strategy for the Middle East.”

Those capabilities “ensure that Israel will be able to deter potential adversaries from launching war against it, or help it win if another war occurs,” said the report, which was released May 17.

The study added that the United States is “firmly committed” to helping Israel preserve its military advantage.

“This U.S. still has an unshakable commitment to Israel,” said Joseph Nye, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, in a briefing.

The report also detailed security interests, defense strategies and challenges facing the United States in the Middle East.

The report is the second in a series of studies on regional security strategies commissioned by Secretary of Defense William Perry.

Despite movements toward peace in the region, some countries, like Iran and Iraq, remain a threat to U.S. security interests and other countries in the region, and the United States must keep military forces there, the report said.

Iraq remains the largest military force in the Persian Gulf, and is a significant threat to moderate Gulf states, although it lost much of its conventional capability in the Gulf War, the study said.

Iran’s recent military purchases and its dedication to developing weapons of mass destruction also are of concern, according to the report.

Such weapons would “have serious repercussions for regional stability and perhaps for our ability to protect our interests in the area,” the report said.