Cozy Corner

He may be a great economist, but Jeffrey Alan Miron doesn't get it. Neither does his recommended read, Matthew Yglesias.

It's usually best in the American context to keep one's criticisms of Israel polite and measured, but there are times when it's better to be blunt in the hopes of achieving clarity. Israel's current war in Lebanon is strategically blinkered and morally obtuse. The idea that the United States or American Jews like me should support it out of friendship is akin to the notion that a real friend would lend a car to a drunk buddy after the bartender confiscates his keys. I understand why the Israeli government and public think this war is a good idea, but they're simply mistaken.

The cross-border raid to capture Israeli soldiers was, of course, another matter. But here Israel had options. If they wanted their soldiers back, they could have traded some Hezbollah captives for them. If they wanted to act tough in the face of threats, they could have refused to negotiate and mounted a smallish, well-targeted retaliatory strike that would have garnered significant international support. Instead, Israel chose to escalate a low-intensity border conflict that posed no serious threat to its security into a much larger-scale battle it can't possibly win -- one that will only harden anti-Israeli sentiments in its neighbor to the north.

Here's where Matt just demonstrates a flaw in understanding. First off, negotiating with terrorists - satisfying their demands - just provides an economic incentive for them to continue. They are kind of like spammers; just taking it doesn't make them go away; in fact, they come on stronger. And second, this isn't just retaliation. There isn't an economy, where one Israeli life is worth so many dollars or Hizb'allah lives. One life. One life has the same value as a thousand, or a million. And, frankly, in defense of their home, Israel has the right to flexible response.

Israel and its friends abroad need to face reality -- the problem that needs solving is the Palestinian problem. Were Israel's conflict with the Palestinians resolved, other challenges like Hezbollah would soon melt away. The idea of firing rockets into Israeli towns would appear absurd. Iran and Syria would have nothing to gain from supporting groups that behaved in that manner. Arab public opinion would no longer applaud the firing of rockets at random into Israeli cities.

Hah! And, with one stroke, he tells us the solution. Unfortunately, as the prisoner's plan so aptly elucidates, a not-more-than-one-state solution is all the current Palestinian leadership would accept. Of course, Matthew is right; that solution would lead to no more rockets into Israeli cities.

Matthew does have a point. Until the Palestinian issue is resolved, Israel won't know peace. But until the rest of the Arab world knows war, the issue will not be resolved.