For the United States to ‘cut the cord’ that tethers Israel to a policy of unfettered support regardless of the actions that sovreign state commits.
For Israel to stand, or fall, on its own resources.
For America to stop acting like Israel is the 51st or 52nd or 53rd State of the Union. And for Israel to stop acting that way too.
For the United States to actually do the right thing and abandon its policy of ‘Whatever Israel does is ok with us’.
For individual Jewish Americans to send their own money to support Israel in the same way that migrant workers from Mexico and Central America send money home to their kinfolk as they choose or not.
For the American government to recognize that friendship is a two way street and while American taxpayers do an awful lot for Israel, Israel does nothing in return for the United States.
For the US to stop pretending that the only ethnic group in the Mid East that matters is Jewish.
It’s time, and far past it, for the President to tell Israel to stop the bombing at the same time he tells Hamas to stop the firing of rockets and until they both stop acting like children, they aren’t going to get another plate of food.
It’s just time…
I am sure your new President will soon do some of what you wish. But even he will not drop them as a valuable ally in that part of the world.
Your desire for us to “cut the cord”, and not stand behind our commitment to come to their aid would result in a quick move on the part of all of the hate filled Arabs and Persians. It is only their assurance that we will not allow it that stops it from happening.
I have never seen a valid explanation for all the hate in the world over the centuries toward this relatively small population that has given so much to us.
By: Rik on January 6, 2009
at 9:47 pm
the hate filled arabs? what about the hate filled americans or the hate filled israelis?
By: Jim on January 7, 2009
at 2:41 am
I’ve got no idea what Rik’s comment is about. The only difference between Obama and Bush is that the latter can’t string a sentence together and the former can. Have you looked at Roland’s blog today Jim? He has a post “There are no civilians in Gaza” with a link to an excellent list of news sources on a particularly interesting blog.
By: steph on January 7, 2009
at 3:42 am
The Israelis, nor Americans have an innate, inbred hate for the Arabs and Persians. I believe Americans are at least tolerant, and actually interested in their cultures and their people. Yhe Israelis simply want a homeland in which they can feel safe, something they have failed to find anywhere in the Diaspora. If allowed to live peacefully in that small sliver of land, they would be a great asset to that world neighborhood. It is only the innate, inbred hate for Jew by the Arabs and Persians, a component of their Muslim religion, that causes the misery to waste generations of their own.
By: Rik on January 7, 2009
at 4:40 am
Jim,
America’s commitment to Israel is due to its strategic value. Nothing more, nothing less. If you are willing to base US strategic interests on a collection of despotic states (and even the so-called “democratic arab states” are barely democratic) – it’s your right. But clearly, those in power, both democrats and republicans (and I have no doubt that the president elect will by and large retain these geopolitical perspectives), for the last several decades, disagree with you.
Let’s start by demanding that both sides agree to comply to the right of existence of each side. I think you will find less willingness with this with a large portion of the Arab side, and only a very small, and largely irelevant part of the Israeli side.
And with all due respect, the blame for the current violence in Gaza, including civilian deaths on both sides, lies completely with the Hamas. They choose to shoot at civilian targets – aiming to kill civilians; and they choose to fire from, store munitions, and hide combatants, in civilian settings, without any care for possible civilian loses due to the Israel military reactions.
Right now, truthfully, they are getting “their own medicine” stuffed down their throats.
And once again, let me stress that I would have preferred that this whole operation not have occured, and that the Israeli civilians and soldiers (including one son who is a combat soldier in Gaza and one son who is doing volunteer work in the bombarded city of Ashkelon) would not have had to endanger themselves and fight this battle.
Aren Maeir
By: arenmaeir on January 7, 2009
at 7:02 am
You won’t get this (although I agree with you) until American embraces fully, without resignations, a separation of church and state.
By: Tom Verenna on January 7, 2009
at 7:40 am
Though you may well be correct, Jim, this is the most wishful of wishful thinking. The Israel lobby in the US is one of the classic cases of totally intractable bone-headed politics. Israel is supported on the left by Jewish Democrats and on the right by Fundagelical Republicans. Support for Israel is a policy that most American politicians will never, never, never oppose because to do so would be politically suicidal. And as you’ve mentioned here many times, the only thing a politician is really good at his preserving his/her own skin. As always, politics trumps thoughtful governing.
By: Colin Toffelmire on January 7, 2009
at 8:01 am
i found it obscenely strange that israel is being held accountable for human rights infractions now (which they should be) but that the us has not been held accountable for the unilateral actions against iraq.
until the international community calls this stuff for what it is, no progress will ever be made. it is a religious war fueled by politics. the false secularized pretense of the west has got it backwards.
By: Drew Tatusko on January 7, 2009
at 8:11 am
Given so much? I’m not sure they willingly gave much away if you are referring to monotheist religion. But the roots of antisemitism are Western and Christian – I often wonder if our collective guilt prevents us from holding the Israelis to the same standards of justice as the rest of the world. Our relationships with people groups gets so mangled over the course of history I long for a reset button, like on my computer, that says lets all start over again and see if we can’t play fair this time (of course in my Windows computer, like the world, that playing fair never lasts long!)
By: Frank Emanuel on January 7, 2009
at 8:46 am
Jim, I’m not as learned as you or anyone else on this board, and I know that my views of the Bible and the world are vastly different, but I just feel the need to tell you that I am bothered by your attitude towards Israel. To turn our backs on God’s chosen people would only, IMHO, hasten the wrath of God this country (the USA) has been pining for for so long. We’ve taken God out of virtually everything and been so dadgum hedonistic…I believe Israel is God’s country and people and for us to not support them is a statement against God. Just my $0.02.
By: laine7594 on January 7, 2009
at 9:59 am
Though his first sentence makes no sense, I gather Rik is suggesting that Israelis and Americans don’t hate Muslims, and are tolerant and interested… yet I believe his ignorance of Islam and the rest of his comment suggests the opposite.
Israel broke the ceasefire agreement by not opening up the borders. Hamas should never have sent rockets to Israel. Israel don’t target civilians it says, yet it sends rockets and drop cluster bombs and white phosphorous on Gaza, a tiny and densely populated area, hitting schools, hospitals (and then pretending Hamas were occupying them) and more including houses supposedly safe from the bombing, killing innocent civilians and children. Israel ‘regret’ the killing of civilians but ‘insist Hamas is to blame’. I by no means defend Hamas but the unconditional American support of Israel is sickening.
By: steph on January 7, 2009
at 7:06 pm
God often turned his wrath on his chosen people. They were not chosen in the way a doting Mother might choose a favorite child. They were “chosen” the way you choose a team to get a job done. God had no problem calling in the Assyrians or Babylonians when he need to smite his “chosen” people (or so we are to understand).
By: Rik on January 7, 2009
at 9:22 pm
While your frustration is understandable, your attacks on Israel and Jews are baseless.
Although Israel is tethered to United States policy, it is not “tether[ed] to a policy of unfettered [American] support regardless of the actions that sovereign state commits.”
Since its beginning (and even before) Israel has had to mold its policies and actions to the real or perceived policies of the United States (and other even-less sympathetic countries), even to the detriment of Israel’s own citizens. (Think, for example, of Israel’s staying on the side-lines during the first Iraq war while Saddam Hussein’s missiles rained down on Israel, in order not to jeopardize America’s standing in the Arab and Muslim world, or of Israel’s withdrawing from the Sinai following the Suez campaign under pressure from Pres. Eisenhower on Israel, Britain and France, a move Ike was reported to have regretted years later.)
As to Israel’s “stand[ing], or fall[ing], on its own resources”, no nation, not even the United States, does that but all call on the resources and aid of friends and allies. For only one quick example, the United States relies on its military connections with Israel to develop, test and improve its weapons.
For many reasons the United States has close relations with Israel, sometimes prickly, sometimes comfortable, but Israel is no more another State of the Union than was Great Britain in its time of trial.
And how can the United States “abandon its policy of ‘Whatever Israel does is ok with us’” when there is no such policy and there never has been?
Only one who ignores America’s diplomatic history over the past 60 years could make such a statement.
And there is no basis for stating that it’s time “For individual Jewish Americans to send their own money to support Israel … as they choose or not.”
That’s been going on for generations exactly as many Americans of a multitude of ethnic, religious and national groups do with regard to their places of origin or of their ancestors.
It’s also baseless to claim that “while American taxpayers do an awful lot for Israel, Israel does nothing in return for the United States.”
Already briefly mentioned was the US-Israel military connection in weapons development. There are those in the American military who have thought of Israel as a land-based aircraft carrier and used it to store military supplies to be available when needed by American forces and as a friendly port of call for the US Navy. And much of American military aid to Israel comes with the requirement that it be spent in the United States, thus supporting America’s arms industry.
It also does not take much thought to mention that other benefits to American taxpayers are medical cures, techniques and technologies discovered by Israelis and developed in Israeli institutions.
And the ability to use a computer or even to post blog entries on the Internet was made possible by Israeli inventions and processes.
Based upon the massive amounts of American money sent for decades to Arab and Muslim countries all over the Middle East (think especially of Egypt and Jordan, as well as the Palestinian Authority) and the precious American lives sacrificed and bodies broken, and treasure spent, in defense of such countries, it is clear that the US has never “pretend[ed] that the only ethnic group in the Mid East that matters is Jewish.”
And wonderful realism is shown by writing that it’s time for “the President to tell Israel to stop the bombing at the same time he tells Hamas to stop the firing of rockets and until they both stop acting like children, they aren’t going to get another plate of food.”
If you want Israel to be destroyed you should get the President to cut off all aid to Israel while Hamas, Hizbullah, the PA with its Fatah (in all of its murderous forms), and other terrorist groups get their food as well as their guns, bullets, RPGs, missiles and all other weapons and armaments from their friends all over the Arab and Muslim world (as well as from others only to glad to make money and see the last of Israel). That’s what happened in 1948 when President Truman enforced an arms boycott against all of the parties to Israel’s War of Independence, which only affected Israel, and happened many times thereafter when other friends of Israel (think De Gaulle) reneged on their arms agreements with Israel.
Even if Israel’s destruction is not your wish, it would be the result of adoption of your untimely policy.
May it never happen!
By: Joseph I. Lauer on January 8, 2009
at 12:52 am
Steph, my comments have exhibited no ignorance of Islam. In fact seeing Muslim mosques and schools being built in the U.S. with very little opposition is an example of how willing Americans are to accommodate the Muslims the same way our founding citizens wished to be accomodated in their worship. We get it. We practice what we preach. However, if they start that Sharia law chant here, as they have in England, I am afraid their welcome will be revoked.
By: Rik on January 8, 2009
at 9:53 pm
If a cease fire existed (albeit fragile) prior to Dec. 2008, it ended with the attacks by Hamas. They cower in civilian buildings and residences and then wonder how Israel could be so cruel as to bomb civilians.
By: John on January 9, 2009
at 8:33 am
i think it fair to say that we are now beyond the point where we can grab the two bullies on the schoolyard and find out who started the fight.
By: Jim on January 9, 2009
at 8:37 am
under no circumstances. i am, on the other hand, anti violence and anti war.
By: Jim on January 8, 2009
at 2:16 am