Merz steps up, crunch point near

New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s frank assertion at the G7 summit – that in attacking Iran, “Israel is doing the dirty work for all of us” – provided a welcome reality check. His argument should be heeded by leaders around the world, including ours. Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong are far from alone in calling repeatedly and pointlessly for “restraint”, “de-escalation” and “diplomacy”. While acknowledging Israel’s right to defend itself, the joint communique after the summit was a contradiction, calling for “de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East”. Such platitudes do not help when, as Mr Merz said, what is needed is recognition that Israel is “doing the dirty work for all of us”. There is no moral equivalence between the two sides. Israel’s battle is not just for its own survival but for civilised norms everywhere. “We are also (all) victims of this regime (in Tehran),” Mr Merz said. “This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world.” His comments beat vacuous and pointless hand-wringing and moralising.

As Donald Trump edges close to joining the battle, the stakes for the world less than a week since hostilities began in earnest could not be greater. On Wednesday, Israel struck an Iranian centrifuge production facility and several weapons-manufacturing sites. From its world-class 2000-bed Rambam hospital in an underground carpark in Haifa, in Israel’s north, to repelling Iranian attacks and plans to hit nuclear sites, the Jewish state’s ingenuity, bravery and expertise are shining. The world is watching closely to see how the US President responds to Israel’s need for help in destroying Iran’s most deep-seated nuclear facilities. Those most interested include the hard men in Moscow and Beijing and the axis of oppressive regimes they lead who were heartened when Joe Biden feebly abandoned Afghanistan to the Taliban. The conflict between Iran and Israel is an opportunity for Mr Trump to restore respect for US and Western deterrence. The future of the world’s battle against extremist Islamist terror depends on him doing so. But Israel and the US also need the backing of leaders such as Mr Merz.

Better than most nations, Germany knows the cost of monstrous dictatorships such as that which has oppressed Iran for decades. To Mr Merz’s credit, he has pledged to lift spending on defence from the current 2.12 per cent of GDP to the 5 per cent demanded by Mr Trump. That is a lesson other leaders should follow given geo-strategic dangers across the world. In our region, the rearmament of the other main anti-Allied World War II protagonist, Japan, is a welcome addition to the balance of Western power amid hostilities faced from the Chinese, Russian, North Korean and Iranian dictatorships. Mr Merz also will be a crucial figure as Europe works towards a security pact with Australia to help safeguard European interests in the Indo-Pacific, especially shipping lanes through the South China Sea that are under threat from Chinese aggression.

Ensuring success for Israel in its battle with Iran is also essential for our region. As The Wall Street Journal noted: “If the US won’t help one of its strongest and most loyal allies finish the job of eliminating Iran’s nuclear threat, the message to China will be that there is no chance the US will defend Taiwan. Everyone will see it – from the Kremlin’s commissars to the communist bosses in Beidaihe,” the beach resort where CCP leaders holiday. It would play into the hands of the Chinese and Russian-dominated BRICS group of nations, which includes Iran. Incredibly, one of the BRICS leaders, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose country virulently opposes Israel and embraces Hamas and Iran, was among those at the G7 summit.

Mr Trump has recognised what is at stake in the Israel-Iran war. Unfortunately, within the US polity – on left and right, including MAGA extremists – isolationists believe otherwise. US broadcaster Tucker Carlson and Mr Trump’s former aide Steve Bannon have both argued against the US helping Israel, invoking the spectre of another war like that which led to regime change in Iraq.

Whether regime change emerges from the current war remains to be seen. But with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming 80 per cent of Iranians hate the regime and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei transferring much of his power to the Supreme Council of the Iranian military, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that is a clear possibility. John Bolton, Mr Trump’s former national security adviser, has identified “weakness and fragmentation at senior levels” within the theocracy as a good “starting point” for strategy. The terrorist-backing regime has long fostered mayhem. It masterminded the October 7, 2023, massacre of Jews and is responsible for the plight of Gaza’s people at the hands of its Hamas surrogates.