What does that mean? The Arab (or Persian) nations have to hit Israel first and then and only then can Israel hit back with what JFK called, a “Full retaliatory response”?
Israel ALWAYS feels that it has to RESPOND, not initiate.
In 1973 the Israeli PM did not preempt a combined Syrian-Egyptian war because she was afraid of losing US and Western support. That cost the Israelis thousands of casualties and nearly, the country.
Throughout the Oslo Peace (War) process, Israel took terror hit after hit from 2000-2002 until she hit back in a big way.
She always feels she has to restrain herself for fear of 45 UN condemnations and now, an enemy US President.
What can she do? Initiate WWIII as many think will happen?
But that applied to the past. Now Iran has and still is flat out stating that they are going to destroy Israel. If Israel waits and does nothing and Iran, in the next 6 months or year -manages to get a nuke missile of their own through Israel's air defenses then there wouldn't be anything left. Israel is a "tiny" country and I'd imagine 2 or 3 nukes would take out the whole country. There'd be no one there and nothing to "respond" with.