How Much Should You Spend to Protect Your Citizens and Allies?
While Israelis are cheering the success of the new Iron Dome short range Missile Defense weapon, many have expressed doubts about the cost-effectiveness of the system. How can it be in Israel’s interest, they ask, to use expensive interceptors to destroy cheap Arab rockets?
Israel’s head Missile Defense guru, Uzi Rubin believes that this is a non-issue. He calls it: “The famous cost-exchange shibboleth.” He explains that “Nursing one seriously wounded patient back to health could cost more to the national treasury than a batch of interceptor missiles. And what cost to a human life?”