Derwood, Maryland
Decker sat at the computer in his study, typing up the profile piece on Ambassador Hansen. It was early morning, a few minutes before 6:00. He would e-mail the article to News World later in the day, but there was no rush. The real news was the war in the Middle East. Hansen's profile would probably make for an interesting sidebar story to the war. Decker's angle was to look at Hansen as the man who almost stopped the war. It was an exaggeration, but he would tone it down in the body of the story.
In Louisa's old room, Decker could hear Christopher's alarm clock ringing. He was starting school in a few days and he wanted to re-adjust to early mornings. By the time Christopher was dressed, Decker had breakfast on the table.
'Good morning, sleepy head,' Decker said when Christopher came into the kitchen. 'I fixed your favorite: waffles and syrup with plenty of bacon on the side!'
Christopher gave Decker a knowing smile and responded, 'Uh, Mr. Hawthorne, as I recall, that's your favorite breakfast. Remember?'
Decker put his hand over his mouth and gasped in mock surprise. 'Why, so it is!' he said, continuing the act. 'Well, now isn't that a wonderful coincidence!' Decker laughed at his own joke and reached for the remote control to turn on the kitchen TV set. It was 6:30 and the news was just starting. 'Our top story,' the news anchor said, 'is the war in the Middle East. For two reports we go to Peter Fantham in Tel Aviv and James Worschal at the State Department. Peter?'
'Thanks John. Today is the Sabbath in Israel, a day of rest, but few are resting. Last night, just after dusk, as the Sabbath began, Syrian, Libyan and Iraqi jets penetrated Israeli air space, headed for dozens of strategic targets. At the same time, Syrian ground forces crossed into Israel from Syria and Lebanon, supported by additional ground forces from Jordan. Throughout the night and into the late morning, widespread fighting has continued on several fronts with heavy casualties on both sides.
'Behind me are the still smoldering remains of an American-made F-15 Eagle, one of the most modern planes in the Israeli arsenal, shot down last night in a dogfight over Tel Aviv by a Libyan MIG-25. But sources tell CNN that while there may have been far more Libyan and Iraqi MIGs than Israeli aircraft shot down in last night's fighting, the real story of the first day of this war was not in the air, but on the ground.
'CNN has learned that most of the Israeli Air Force never even got in the air. According to one source, dozens of Israeli fighters and bombers were destroyed and had to be bulldozed off runways to allow undamaged planes to take off. The Israeli military has refused comment and has ignored requests to allow our camera crew onto any of their bases, but unofficial estimates of losses range as high as sixty percent of the entire Israeli Air Force. If these figures are correct, Israel may be in a struggle for its very existence.'
The scene switched to another reporter standing in a large hall with flags of various nations behind him. The caption identified the man as James Worschal and the place as the U.S. State Department.
'This is the fourth time Israel has been in an actual war with her Arab neighbors,' the reporter began, 'Each time before, she has emerged the victor against far superior numbers. But this time the odds seem to have changed dramatically in favor of her Arab neighbors.
'In the past, Israel has depended on four basic strategic advantages: superior intelligence capabilities; more highly trained and motivated soldiers and officers; a world-class air force; and distrust and disorganization among Arab allies at the command level. But this morning three of those four strategic advantages seem to have been severely damaged or lost altogether.
'The successful attack not only decimated the machinery of the Israeli Air Force, as Peter Fantham just reported from Tel Aviv, it has also shown that the perennial problem of cooperation between Arab states may have come to an end. Military experts tell CNN that last night's unified attack was nearly flawless. The level of coordination between the Syrians, Libyans, Iraqis, and Jordanians was a classic display of synchronized modern warfare. In part, at least, the Arab participants can thank the United States for that. U.S. military sources all seem to agree that the experience gained by Syria while working with the U.S. during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 played a large role in the success of this attack.
'Finally, John, the key to the success of last night's attack was surprise. The Arabs successfully launched a massive three-pronged attack in total secrecy. Israel's Intelligence Agency, the Mossad, has a reputation second to none in the world, but last night they appear to have been asleep on the job. John.'
The scene switched to a split screen of the news desk in New York and the reporter at the State Department. 'Jim, what about Israel's strategic defense that we've heard so much about? Isn't that a factor?'
'No, John. Although, as you say, Israel is believed to have a highly developed strategic defense – which unofficial estimates say may be more advanced than the US program – this highly touted system is not considered to be a factor in the present conflict. The reason for this is that the Arab attack used entirely conventional forces, while Israel's strategic defense – as its name implies – is designed to defend against a strategic attack by incoming missiles ranging from SCUDS to ICBMs. Against small, low-flying aircraft and ground forces their strategic defense was useless.'
'What's the prognosis there at the State Department?' the anchor asked. 'Has the possibility of direct U. S. intervention been discussed? And, even if the U.S. does become involved, is there much hope that Israel can recover from this?'
The reporter at the State Department adjusted his earphone before responding. 'John, no one is talking openly about direct intervention, although it is very likely that both the U.S. and Britain will respond with assistance in the form of military equipment. To answer the second question: no one is making any bets on the outcome one way or another, but there is some quiet optimism being expressed. Despite the successful first strike, it's important to remember that this is not the first time Israel has suffered a surprise first strike. The first time was in the Yom Kippur war – a war which the Israelis came back to win and win big. The other point of optimism is still Israel's Air Force. Despite the heavy losses, it's possible that the Israelis may be able to make up in quality what they are lacking in quantity. Two examples keep being brought up: the first, as I mentioned, is the Yom Kippur war, in which the Israeli Air Force shot down over two hundred Syrian MIGs without the loss of a single Israeli aircraft. The other example – which in its own way is no less impressive – is that in July of 1970, in their only head-to-head meeting with the Soviet Union, the Israelis shot down six Russian MIG-21s while the Soviets failed to damage even one Israeli aircraft. If the Air Force can duplicate that kind of record in this war, they may still have a chance of surviving.'
'Thanks, Jim. Now for more on this story we go to Tom Slade in Jerusalem.' The scene switched to the Temple Mount.
'John, Arabs and Israelis have never really needed a reason to fight, but on this occasion the reason is clear. This is a holy war, a 'jihad,' bringing together Arab countries which only a few years ago were bitter rivals. Surprisingly, their cause is a piece of land only about the size of two football fields.
'Behind me, construction of the Jewish Temple goes on despite the war, on land claimed by both the Jews and Muslims. For nearly twelve hundred years, until it was destroyed by Jewish extremists three years ago, this spot was occupied by the Mosque of Omar, the third most holy shrine in Islam. Before that, on this same spot, stood the ancient Jewish Temple, which was itself destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Roman army.
'Orthodox Jews, who have tried to muster support for rebuilding the Temple since before Israel became a state in 1948, attempted to portray the destruction of the Mosque as a sign from God to rebuild the Temple, but for most Israelis, rebuilding the Temple was a non-issue.
'For nearly three years, since the destruction of the Wailing Wall by Palestinians and the subsequent destruction of the Mosque by Israelis, the land sat cordoned off, guarded and undisturbed behind Israeli police lines. During those years, Israeli politics has moved sharply to the right in response to continuing Palestinian riots. Last year Moshe Greenberg's Ichud party, campaigning on hard-line promises including expulsion of Palestinians suspected of rioting and the symbolic promise of rebuilding the Temple, won a small but solid plurality in the Knesset. Minority religious parties made the reconstruction of the Temple a key issue when they agreed to support the Ichud party in forming a coalition government.
'Today, after nearly four years of increasing tensions and violence between Palestinians and Israelis, even many nonreligious Israelis defiantly support the rebuilding of the Temple as a cultural and historic landmark. So, ironically, while fighting goes on all around it, here on the Temple Mount, the construction crews continue their work.'
