Israel's Military vs. the Arab States, by the Numbers: The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth!
I have a habit of almost always writing about politics and economics. I avoid writing about war, culture, crime, and dysfunction. I figure I’ll leave that to others who do it better --plus, it's so depressing.
However, unless you’re a Tibetan monk, you’ll find it impossible to avoid watching what is happening with the Israel/Hamas war on cable news. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting the crisis in the Middle East isn’t important or worthy of our collective attention.
Still, recently I came across a post on X from a formerly sane DeSantis supporter whom I follow and who also follows me. (Although that will likely change after this column is published. The part about following me, that is.)
This guy's no longer supporting DeSantis. Not because Ronnie D eats pudding with his fingers, not because Ronnie D wears boots. Not because Ronnie D has an irritating habit of touching his face while standing on stage, or smiling at the wrong moments...
No, this once-upon-a-time supporter of Ron DeSantis has abandoned the good governor over his bold and principled defense of the Jewish state, and his leadership in helping his citizens flee Israel lest they be on the receiving end of a Hezbollah rocket.
The full message reads:
This is ridiculous. Israel doesn't need any supplies, but the Palestinians in Gaza definitely need humanitarian aid. This is why I do not trust you to be any different than any other Republican throwing our tax dollars away to foreign countries and to foreign countries who don't even need it. Sorry, but you have earned the nickname Neocon Ron, and here is a flag that you should look at every day.
I see a lot of posts on X that annoy me but this one for some reason really... well, it really pissed me off.
My response continues:
They're like the 465+ million other Arabs living in the region except instead of wanting to live in one of the 22 other Arab countries, they are demanding to live in Israel. Moreover, if they need humanitarian aide, and no doubt they do, they should receive it from the Arab countries in the region with a combined GDP of $3.t trillion as compared to Israel with a GDP of $521 billion.
So as I suggested in my X post response, why do the 22 Arab countries in the Middle East continue to get a free ride when it comes to any obligation towards the betterment of the so-called Palestinians?
And why is Israel treated like some military hyper-power in the region when in fact, as compared to their perennially hostile Arab neighbors, they are actually meek by comparison (save for Israel's nuclear capability)? As the Bible says, the meek shall inherit the earth. But I digress.
I think it might be illuminating for readers to consider a contrast between the two sides in this 75-year territorial dispute. I relied on Country Cassette, which is a data portal that gathers facts and statistics from multiple sources, for my information. I recommend it if you like data in the form of infographics.
The first stat that really jumps out at you is the Goliathian difference in the size of the respective populations. The Arab countries, which comprise 22 separate nations, have a total population of 468 million. If it were one country, it would rank third behind India and China. The population of Israel is 9.2 million.
So for the purposes of comparing the two sides and using as few words as possible, I'll refer to the 22 separate nations simply as "Arabia." I hope that term doesn't offend anyone, because no offense is intended.
The second metric I want to share is their respective gross domestic product (GDP). This is in U.S. dollars.
Arabia has a GDP of $3.7 trillion. Israel's is $521 billion. Arabia ranks sixth in terms of GDP; Israel is ranked 29th.
Now, let's take a look at the two sides as it relates to military strength.
Israel has plus 90 nuclear weapons. The Arab nations have zero. And thank God for that. However, things get pretty real from here.
The state of Israel has a military that totals 646,000 members. Arabia has 3.9 million. As far as active personnel, Israel has 173,000 active members; Arabia has an active personnel of 2.4 million.
When it comes to tanks, Israel has 2,200; Arabia has 16,751. As for armored vehicles, Israel has 45,000, and Arabia has 476,000. Self-propelled artillery: Israel has 650; Arabia has 3,892. Rocket artillery: Israel 300, Arabia 3,548.
Are you seeing a pattern here?
Total aircraft: Israel 601, the Arab nations 5,782. Fighter jets: Israel 273, Arabia 1,728. Trainers aircraft: Israel 15, Arabia 1,420. Transport aircraft: a total of 15 for Israel, and 363 for Arabia. Israel has 48 attack helicopters; the Arab countries have 449.
How do the Israelis sleep at night?
As for their naval fleet strength, Israel has 67 assets, whereas Arabia has 1,367. Israel has no helicopter carriers; Arabia has two. And as for naval destroyers, Israel has exactly 0, and Arabia has two. Frigates anyone? Israel has zero; Arabia has 164!
Israel has five submarines, and Arabia has eight. Okay, some parity.
And yet despite this enormous military imbalance, Israel is undefeated in its war efforts -- all of which have been in defense of the country. Since 1948, the Arab countries have attacked Israel numerous times; Israel has never attacked its neighbors a single time.
And so while it is absolutely true that the United States has provided Israel with foreign aid, the real question is why haven't the wealthy Arab countries lifted a finger to help their own impoverished people living in Gaza under the corrupt rule of Hamas -- and the PLO before them?
It's a really disappointing thing to see so many otherwise sensible conservatives (like my X friend above) revert to an almost knee-jerk, antisemitic mindset, whenever this issue of supporting Israel comes up.
Yes, Israel is a functional democracy with a rule of law. Yes, it is a progressive society with upward mobility. And yes, what they've achieved, as a tiny nation in a vast sea of religious intolerance, is nothing short of remarkable. Blessed are the meek indeed.
But America, with its $26 trillion economy and enormous military resources, which makes us second to none, is still right to support them because, frankly, a world without Israel is a poorer and darker world. And that is something all Americans really need to understand.
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