Why Does the United States Support Israel?
JVL Introduction
Why does the US give such uncritical support to Israel asks Jason Farbman in Jacobin magazine?
It is simply that US and Israeli interests converge in important ways.
Israel plays an invaluable role in helping the United States dominate the Middle East. And as a quid pro quo the US sponsors Israel financially and politically.
The array of pro-Israel lobby groups – Christian Zionists, Aipac and associated Jewish groups, and US defence corporations who have a direct economic interest in supporting the relationship – find themselves going very much with the grain of what the US perceives to be its national interest.
The human cost of this relationship – displacement and ethnic cleansing of Palestine – has found it very it hard to make it onto the political agenda.
Hopefully this is changing, with some members of Congress now prepared to speak out…
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For a series of contributions dating from the March 2006 publication of John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt’s (explosive but misleading) article on this topic, see The ‘Israel lobby’: US aid to and support for Israel.
This article was originally published by Jacobin on Mon 17 May 2021. Read the original here.
Why Does the United States Support Israel?
The ethnic cleansing of Palestine is one of the great crimes of the last century. It has been made possible by Israel’s utility to US imperialism.
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Thankyou for the early history, and Britain’s part in it.
I caught a discussion led by Mehdi Hassan on Youtube yesterday.
He spoke of Begin’s visit to the USA in the late 70s and how he reprimanded a young Democrat Congressman for expressing a level of anti-Palestinian bigotry that embarrassed that most extreme (up to then) Israeli PM.
The congressman’s name was Jo Biden.
Coincidentally, just this morning, a friend copied to me this tongue-in-cheek post on FB:
Americans are the ultimate saints. I applaud you 👏 You live in poverty, no health care, no education, nothing, but you’re willing to live so poorly, and sacrifice better lives for your children and selves, just to make Israelis have a far superior life than yours. Very noble of you to fund the luxurious life of Israelis, I’m sure they appreciate it, and think about you everytime they receive free health-care and superior education for their chosen children. God Bless Americans, may you continue to suffer err sacrifice for the privilege of others. Amen ❤👼
All of the above may be true, but there is a far simpler underlying dynamic. Consistent polling research has shown that really sanctioning Israel would lose any presidential candidate, Democrat or Republican up to 10 percent of potential support in an election. In America, presidents win by only 1 or 2 percentage points. Polling also indicates that hostility would extend to the party as well as the individual.
So to ensure Trump wins the next election all Biden has to do is oppose Israel. As with Brexit here, there are powerful and malign influences
but ill-informed and distorted public opinion is the biggest initial stumbling block.
An excellent article and some good posts, with depressing conclusions.
I’d just add that the US, see Israel as a ready made, strategic base for any conflicts in the area.
Personally I would like all Arms Industries to be Nationalised, to take the need for massive profits out of the equation. The Arms Industries are in some way or another behind the majority if wars, often selling to both sides.
THANK YOU so much for this superbly written analysis. I have never been able to fully understand the history and geography and political alliances of the Israel story. For the first time, I feel I can hold it all in my head without confusion. It also explains why I grew up with a feeling that a jewish person would probably have humanistic views like my own (and more likely to be socialist ), and confused by the racist and inhumane attitudes that pervade Israel. Thank you.