Is Hagel Israel's punishment?

Iran has dropped off our radar. It's a little strange, considering that nothing has changed. The centrifuges continue spinning in the land of the ayatollahs. Their dream of attaining nuclear weapons remains, as does their dream of seeing Israel wiped off the map.

The equation is simple: If Jerusalem is satisfied then Tehran is anxious, and vice versa. Chuck Hagel's appointment as next U.S. secretary of defense fits that bill. Iran has welcomed the appointment and some in Israel are concerned.

Hagel's appointment fits, like a glove, the direction in which U.S. President Barack Obama wants to lead America: Less military intervention abroad, a willing and voluntary reduction of power projection and influence overseas, and mainly a significant decrease in military spending.

First and foremost, Hagel's appointment is significant for America domestically. Because the U.S. is a world power (still), his appointment also has consequences for Jerusalem and Tehran.

Hagel's selection was announced during election season in Israel: Yedioth Ahronoth is working obsessively to tie anything bad to the current government. Under such circumstances, Yedioth obviously claims that Hagel's appointment is "Obama's punishment" on Israel for Netanyahu's alleged favoritism toward Romney. According to the same logic, if Netanyahu wouldn't have "interfered" in the American elections, then perhaps Newt Gingrich would have received the appointment. It's possible that if Ehud Olmert was prime minister, then former Israel Security Agency chief Yuval Diskin would have been sent to the Pentagon. It's all nonsense.

Hagel's appointment is a classic choice, compatible with the Obama administration's policies. In his second term, after choosing the Republican former senator from Nebraska, Obama will have finally turned his back on the Bush era. America is getting a full face-lift, not a simple makeover.

Obama doesn't like wars. He sought to end the war in Iraq and succeeded, and wishes the same outcome soon in Afghanistan. He also allowed Great Britain and France to lead the way during the Libyan conflict. He doesn't want to intervene in Syria. In the era of the Obama-Hagel duo there won't be much chance for military adventurism. The phrase "war of necessity" is about to be stretched like an accordion.

Hagel, following his appointment, said that he wasn't anti-Israel, and we want to believe him. While his record with comments and votes on Israel-related issues isn't encouraging, the problem is that people like Hagel believe that American interests lie in other parts of the globe. Israel, even if he won't admit it, is becoming a burden.

Alan Dershowitz published an article explaining why Hagel is the "wrong candidate." Dershowitz, a fervent Obama supporter, feels that the appointment will only strengthen the idea that the U.S. won't attack Iran.

Hagel still needs to pass a Senate inquiry. If the nomination doesn't pass the final hurdle, Iran can say they were right: The Jewish lobby in the U.S. is so strong that it managed to change a presidential decision. When Iran talks about a "Jewish lobby" it's almost natural, but when a candidate for American secretary of defense does so it is extremely disconcerting.

The West is changing, and the United States along with it. Israel's expectations and interests aren't necessarily in step with these changes. The Democratic National Convention in Charlotte this summer and the plan set forth by libertarian Republican candidate Ron Paul communicates this worrying change.

But the world, and Iran as a part of it, isn't really changing. We can only hope that the article in Yedioth on Tuesday, which claims that Hagel is Israel's punishment, wasn't translated into English. By appointing Hagel, Obama doesn't want to "punish" the world, rather, in his mind, give it a gift. In the meantime, it's interesting which bazaar merchant in Tehran will be the first to embroider a carpet with Hagel's picture on it.

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