The Unintimidated Press just published a scathing attack on American policy toward Israel, calling the U.S. gov't a lapdog for Israel and referring to the United States' policy toward Israel as "American foreign policy at its stupidest." Great reading for people who don't agree with the cozy relationship between the United States and Israel: Why is the U.S. government such a gigantic lapdog for Israel?
I'm about to pass out so I'll read it later. But based on what I already know, I agree 100% that our foreign policy in regards to Israel is the most impotent.
Why do I have a feeling this will turn into a debate about Israel's right to exist.... FYI the US shouldn't give Israel money while they're still building settlements, but while you're thinking about Israel, just don't forget that Egypt also receives $2 Billion/year in foreign aid, as well as ACTUALLY fucked up places like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan....The US gives so much aid to dictatorships that when you put it in perspective, it makes sense that it would ally with Israel, as both the US and Israel are centers of technological brilliance and academic excellence, as well as freedom for LGBT people and women. Obviously both have severe issues, but in every surrounding Nation but Israel you can be executed for being gay, if you are a woman you are a second class citizen, etc. Fuck the settlements (they are immoral and illegal), but don't think of Israel just as that. Over half of Israel is secular and values freedom, knowledge, and advancement. If you ask why the settlements are there if this is true, I will ask you all this: How the fuck did we have the baboon George Bush for 8...not 4... 8!!! years? All I'm trying to say is make sure you don't look at Israel as if it is a unit. It is extremely divided among partisan lines, and just like in America, the Right there are theological and bloodthirsty. Sound familiar (rove, cheney, gingrich, anyone?) My point is, use some perspective. The US gives far, far more aid to dictatorships that have absolutely NO personal freedoms, and they do it for oil. If the Israeli rightists chilled the fuck out and stopped building settlements, US policy towards Israel actually makes a lot of sense. And since peace talks are happening right now and are going better than anyone expected, it's actually looking like the settlement issue will be solved when PM Netanyahu and PA president Abbas and their team of negotiators define the borders. Soon the Palestinians (who currently receive more foreign aid than ANY group of people in the world) will have a state, and people will chill the fuck out. The Jews that have lived in Israel for 5,000 years deserve autonomy, and so do the Arabs who later became known as Palestinians. I think the US is trying to be a fair mediator, and no one can really prove otherwise until we see the outcome of the current round of negotiations.
When it comes to foreign aid, each situation must be taken on a case by case basis. This thread just deals with aid to Israel. Secondly, the article doesn't question Israel's right to exist and that's not what this thread is about either.
The US/Israeli relationship is responsible for a lot of the problems in the Middle East.. I find it difficult to understand why the US is giving all this money to Israel when it has such problems of its own. I would go as far as to say it is unpatriotic to support such waste of US $ when your fellow countrymen go hungry..
Firstly - When it comes to foreign aid, case by case basis must be assessed ALONG with international perspective. Foreign policy is complex and action needs to be assessed from all angles. It's incredibly hypocritical to whine about Israel getting aid when murderous dictatorships are getting the same or more amount of AID, dictatorships that do things far worse than anything seen in the I/P conflict. I understand this article doesn't question israel's right to exist. Notice I said "TURN IN TO" and not "IS". Thanks for clarifying that anyway, I guess. EDIT- you also ignored the point I brought up, which is that, despite YOUR opinion, which as I said appears to contain a double-standard, the US policymakers obviously think their interests align enough with Israel's in order to justify giving them aid. Remember that whole LGBT freedom thing, for example? Maybe read my post again?
So the US is allied with Israel based on LGBT rights and freedom? Okay, good to know. BTW, bringing up turning a thread into an anti/pro Zionist war hive on the second post usually turns it into an anti/pro Zionist hive
So its all about gay love.. Dont think the Jesus freaks will like to hear that though... You might want to down play that going forward.. On a more serious note something from Dr. Ron Paul. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyFosvHanBo]YouTube - RON PAUL 101 - ISRAEL[/ame]
How bout reading my first comment instead of putting words in my mouth and simplifying my argument incorrectly?
He says everything I would have said, good video. I'm pretty sure the Brits supported the zionist movement for oil, actually, and the reason we still fund them is their strategic military position over our oil interests. As Mackinder said at Versailles in 1918:
Aaronman, do you have anything better than a 1918 quote to verifiy the whole oil thing? I wasn't aware israel sits on any oil reserves. I thought that was Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait... etc? Want to find me a link that shows exactly what Zionist forces control what oil (starting to sound like a conspiracy theory).
I'm suggesting the Anglo-American empire funded/funds Israel for it's strategic military position over oil interests, I don't think there is actually any oil there. I highly doubt we just give them billions of dollars for weapons and provide unconditional war guarantees because we like Jews... It is a conspiracy theory.
I didn't understand the relevance of it your first post either, I only commented because you brought it up twice. I still don't see why that would be one of the big staples holding the alliance together I'm not saying that's not a big issue, and I'm very pro gay rights, but when it comes to international relationships that sounds sort of retarded.
Saudi Arabia is one of the richest countries in the world. The government actually pays their citizens theyre so rich. thats not bullshit either go ahead and google it.
Israel is the most violent despotic regime in the Middle East. They've stole Palestinian land, continue to steal their land, subjugate the Palestinian people and keep them in abject poverty. They make their lives miserable. Because of the abuses visited upon the Palestinian people groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas have risen up to fight the tyranny coming from Israel. Israel deserves nothing but the strictest sanctions the world can place on it until they recognize the right of the Palestinian people to have their own country and leave them alone. Israel belonged to the Arabs before the Jews showed up 3500 years ago. They stole their land then and since 1948 they've been stealing as much of it as they can. Israel is guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. They deserve nothing until they recognize the State of Palestine and keep to their own borders.
LOL dude. The most violent regime in the middle east? Is that why they stone women for adultery, execute gays and rape their own college students with batons for protesting a stolen election??? Dude, you are like a caricature of yourself. EDIT- keep pretending Turkey hasn't killed 80,000 kurds in the last couple of years, including via chemical attacks. Government sanctioned ethnic cleansing of Kurdish minorities. So much worse than I/P.
It is, especially since you basically just told me you don't have a shred of evidence to support your allegation.
Once again you are cherrypicking examples from my overall argument that our values on the whole ALIGN. it's sad you have to grab at straws like that.