Re: AC
"Because Israel is in a unique position to trigger a major war in the Middle East which could escalate to World War III....." I'm always amused by this naïve and very outdated claim. Please do explain who you think Israel could start WW3 with?
Iran? How? There is a big chunk of geography sitting between Iran and Israel, which is why Iran has to attack Israel via more local stooges like HAMAS and Hezbollah. Say Israel was to make a pre-emptive strike against Iran, the only way Iran can react is non-nuke ballistic missiles, maybe some biological weapons just as likely to infect surrounding Arab nations (who would not hesitate to strike back at Iran), and the predictable rockets from Gaza and Lebanon. Hardly WW3. And do you really think any of Iran's backers are actually that ready to put themselves in the line of fire? China is more interested in sorting their troubled economy and dominating their neighbours in the South China Sea without provoking an American response. North Korea? All bluster. And Putin's Russia is more interested in shoring up their Syrian ally to get dragged into a war with even Israel, let alone NATO. The tiny Russian expeditionary force in Syria is just large enough for swatting rebels but has been kept small enough not to really upset NATO, Turkey or Israel.
The Arabs surrounding Israel have failed in three major wars with Israel, they simply don't have the political stomach to go again to only benefit the Palestinians. Countries like Egypt, which was once the main force for attacking Israel, now find themselves bound to the US and partnering with Israel in containing Islamic extremists. Jordan is likewise, desperately trying to keep out of Palestinian affairs, being more concerned with the masses of refugees arriving from the Syrian conflict. The Jordanians are more than a little wary of refugees ever since the PLO tried to take over the country.
The Lebanon is still a conflicted mess with Hezbollah trying to shore up their support, support that takes a dent every time the Israelis expose just how forgone a conclusion it is that they can militarily dominate Hezbollah if they really want to. In the 2006 war with Israel there was never any real doubt, despite Hezbollah's many claims, that it was simply a matter of how much Israel would have to throw at the problem to reach the Litani River. And no WW3 erupted.
Syria is a nice mess as far as Israel is concerned - Assad's Syria stripped of chemical weapons, their military capability being ground down, and busy fighting for its own survival against Sunni jihadis that would otherwise be busy plotting attacks on Jews worldwide. And Iran tied up trying to send military aid to Assad that it would prefer to supply to Hezbollah and HAMAS. And then there's the festering ill will between Shia Iran and Sunni Palestinians that has seen HAMAS and PLO members turning up in Syria fighting against their prior allies Hezbollah, Syria and Iran. All pretty good news for Israel.
Israel currently has more than enough superior military muscle to face down even a combination of their neighbours should that unlikely scenario arise again, and there is no Cold War to drag either Russia or the US into any such fray. Putin's bluster does not extend to a real confrontation with NATO. When even neutral countries like Sweden openly debate joining NATO it shows how Putin has overplayed his hand and united his perceived enemies.
So, please do try and provide some argument to back your silly claim that Israel is "in an unique position" to start WW3. The reality is the rise of ISIS has meant the more likely world conflict will be a unified response between East and West against Islamic extremism, probably starting in Syria and Iraq and then extending to areas like Libya.