What does Israel provide the U.S.?

[newworldafro]

It's not about that. It's what Israel's supporters in the US can provide to politicians IN the US. Sometimes it's not about national interest but pure personal politics.

It's a cold game. Like Roosevelt said...you have to answer to millions of people in the US who are anxious to see Zionism succeed. Not many Arabs

The turning point was the 1968 election which was marked by the now customary competition for the Jewish vote. Nixon told the Washington Convention of B'nai B'rith that of he were elected he would guarantee Israel 'a technological military margin over her immediate neighbours'. His rival Hubert Humphrey promised to supply Israel with fighter jets. The rest is history.

A lot of presidents over the years including Roosevelt were pro-Arab but the political realities meant they went against their beliefs and sometimes against US interest.

Interesting.

All the answers have validity, except Ragnorak.

They provide a Tail to Wag the Dog...




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[bsmooth]

I don't think US intelligence need Mossad like that.

But why not have it?

Understand, the United States is not funding Israeli intelligence, they fund military aid which stipulates 75% must go to American defense contractors. It's easier to get a couple billion a year into the budget under the auspices of Israeli aid and the understanding that most of the money will come back into the country than trying to get the intelligence budget expanded. Why not be able to use more of the intelligence budget on other areas when you have this subsidized outlet to outsource some parts? On top of that, you get a level of detachment from geopolitical consequence and less asset risk. Why fly a drone over countries in the region and pay all the costs of operation and deal with the potential consequences if the thing is discovered when you can get a defense contractor paid at the expense of taxpayers and just give it to Israel knowing they'll give you the info they get?

 

[Anerdyblackguy]

Headaches

 

[The War Report]

Strictly geopolitical.

 

[Saka]

the second coming of jesus

 

[Street Knowledge]

It's the third rail of politics

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

none of these answers make sense to me.

 

[yeyeye]

none of these answers make sense to me.

heathen

 

[yeyeye]

I really didn't know there was such a religious element to the US backing Israel, I thought it was strictly geopolitical.

 

[Grano-Grano]

It's prophesied that Israel and Muslim will fight in the end times. That's in Christianity and Islam. Idk about Judaism.

 

[EndDomination]

Seems like a lot of people have this weird religious belief that it's our Christian duty to protect Israel or something like that. I guess if we don't then Armageddon might not happen like god plans, which is a bad thing I guess?

I don't really get it myself, and I'm someone who went to church semi-regularly when I was a kid.

It's solely an Evangelical point of view, it goes into an odd conservative Christian ally-ship ideal between the Evangelical right and the Zionist right. I've listened to those "Moody Bible Institiute" radio talk shows and they adore Israel.

Outside of the religious significance, it's largely a strategic position in the Middle East, the strongest military in the area, positioned in the perfect "aughts Cold War" proxy-war area, and significant historical positioning, as we've seen with Lebanon in the past.

 

[AyahuascaSippin]

For all the money and resources this country gives Israel, what to they give back in return?

What do they export?
What resources do they have?

They seem to be an isolated country in that region and don't really provided anything of substance.
They don't have any stand alone power in the middle east, and only contribute to terrorists hating the United States.

U.S. leaders ride for this country so much but it's like they don't give nothing back to the United States.

if this was true we wouldn't have taken the baton from Europe and been so heavily involved in that region since ww2

 

[ORDER_66]

if this was true we wouldn't have taken the baton from Europe and been so heavily involved in that region since ww2

Yeah, but realistically does israel export anything of use to the united states tho?!!? they dont even have oil....

 

[the cac mamba]

@Czarface im curious why you have a problem with this when bin laden stated that america's support of israel, and disrespect of the middle east, was the main reasons for 9-11

not to mention that israel would have loved to watch an attack like this take place on american soil and get blamed on the middle east

 

[714562]

Israel was a valuable and somewhat reliable ally during the Cold War in many respects.

1) They provided the U.S. with some intelligence on the Soviet Union
2) They provide a healthy market for U.S. arms manufacturers
3) They occasionally act as enforcers for America's foreign policy. For example, they aided Jordan during the Black September war and bombed Iranian nuclear reactors.

The growing ambivalence of the American public to the U.S.'s relationship with Israel stems from a more fundamental shift in the U.S's interests after the Cold War. Back then, the U.S. felt it necessary to maintain stability in the Middle East at all costs because it didn't want Soviet influence to creep in---even if that meant crushing every secular and socialist Arab nationalist movement in sight. But the Cold War is over and secular Arab socialism is a thing of the past.

Fundy Islam has filled the void that Arab socialism has left behind and the U.S. has no idea how to deal with it. One of the best ways to do it would be to help Israel come to some kind of understanding with the Palestinians. But Israel has basically never, ever compromised on its basic stance toward Palestine and the U.S. has never made Israel do so.

Israel has never given an inch on its fundamental position: (1) No right of return, (2) No official recognition of any Palestinian state, (3) No negotiations with any Arab states that would involve the interests of Palestinians, (4) No giving up of any territory, unless it stalls the recognition of a Palestinian state -- i.e., the Sinai and Gaza, and (5) No giving up anything on the West Bank.

If lasting peace is the goal, Israel will have to give up something, unless another war breaks out and the Palestinian cause gets totally crushed (which I don't see happening).