Why Do We Support Israel? - Part II by Patrick D. O'Brien Aug 18, '04
[The first part of this article can be read at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/article.php3?id=4063.]
Peace through superior firepower
The cooperative military ventures between Israel and the United States are nothing short of spectacular. The strategic value derived from these joint projects is hard to measure, and the lives they save makes them priceless. The Arrow missile, as was shown recently, promises to be an indispensable replacement for the useful, yet not quite useful enough, Patriot missile system. From the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) and satellite technology, to Israel's state of the art Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) and down to more mundane military matters, the US takes advantage of Israel's technological prowess and pioneering spirit.
In today's world, military supremacy is of paramount importance for free nations, and the US and Israel are a step ahead of everyone else. This is all the more important to the US when we now have the same monsters hammering on our door as on Israel's. Also, I'm sure there are also a few black book projects that we don't yet know about. Heck, that's got to be worth another billion, at least.
And when it comes to military might, Israel reigns supreme in the Middle East. The IDF has approximately 150,000 active duty strength troops and another estimated 500,000 regularly trained reservists, who can be mobilized inside of 72 hours. This formidable fighting force is also equipped with the best available equipment, armaments, intelligence and logistical support. And Israel's air force has a fleet second in size only to the United States.
After having had to defend Israel in five major wars, the IDF is among the world's most seasoned and battle-trained armed forces. With fresh hostilities each day, Israel's sons and daughters in the IDF are regularly tested and re-tested in battle. Israel is also in possession of (openly) secret nukes. In the unlikely event of America needing a "helping hand" in the region, isn't it good to know that Israel's first-rate military is on our side? They're numerous, well trained, disciplined, armed to the teeth, and they're already there - no deployment. It may well prove to be quite a godsend one day.
The value of the peace (and peace of mind), however tenuous, that all of these military factors buy for the United States, through a powerful deterrent to our enemies, and as a potential front line in a future American offensive in the area, is truly incalculable. As arrogant and contentious as it may sound, there truly is something to be said for the accessibility of peace through superior firepower.
I am obviously not an expert in geopolitics, economics, or foreign policy. I know a thing or two about these matters, though, because I think it's important to understand at least a minimum of what goes on in one's government, and what sort of relations one's country has with others. For practical and personal reasons, I've grown quite fond of Israel over the years, in great measure because I've discovered how tightly knit, on many levels, our relationship with them is.
The bottom line here is that dollar for dollar, Israel gives back to the US far more than other nations, especially Arab states, which receive more or comparable aid (and which consistently vote against us at the UN, by the way). I'm almost willing to describe Israel's role in our relationship as being on the United States' payroll; certainly not as a "puppet," but as a valued and crucial friend whose services are indispensable. Israel earns our foreign aid, whereas other countries take our money and give nothing back, or worse, actively work against us.
And anyone who thinks that Arabs hate us primarily because we support Israel is either ignorant or looking for another specious justification for slandering the US and/or Israel. Or worse, they are seeking a way to excuse Islamic terror. If this is what you believe, you need to look into this matter more objectively, turn off your emotions, and rethink your position. The United States is the Great Shaitan and Israel is the Little Shaitan. And if you think that Europe is not hated by those who think that shari'ah is a good idea, all I can say is stay tuned, and perhaps prepare for "dhimmitude".
It makes sense for us to support Israel. It is in a nation's best interests to do what makes sense for its well being, for its standing in the world, and for the security of its citizens.
Beyond all this, I just love Israel. The values of Israel's people are more consonant with American values than any other people I know of. I have no issue with the vast majority of my nation's values. I love it here, and I think that in the balance, we are a just nation, like Israel. I am grateful to live in a free and open society where what I do as an individual counts, if only a little a bit. Israelis seem to have a similar outlook, and I am truly glad to live in a nation that supports such people. Despite the material reasons for our alliance, at the end of the day, I am absolutely convinced that there is also pure, human worth in our unique mutual friendship.
I think it's also important to remember that Israel is trying to lead a modern, secular, democratic, existence in the middle of a region comprised mainly of hostile and combative totalitarian regimes. This means that Israel holds itself to standards that its enemies don't. I think many Westerners are resentful of Israel's perceived transgressions against liberal democracy because they don't take into consideration just how much adversity Israel is up against. Israel is not in the midst of like-minded nations, as European states are, and they are not the global powerhouse that the US is. Such an attitude against Israel is, of course, hypocritical coming from Americans. And in some instances, I regret to say that, yes, it certainly appears to be anti-Semitic.
The fact is that for Israel to lose just one battle against its pugnacious neighbors is to lose all battles. That will be the end of the short story of the Jewish homeland's rebirth. When I need to explain to others, as I've done here, what's in it for us, then I have to face the fact that some people don't seem to care if the Jewish state is wiped off the map by the Arabs, who seem to have all the patience in the world to make that happen. I find it unsettling, just sixty years after the Holocaust, that some of my countrymen have forgotten one of the principal reasons why Israel must be defended - it is the only place in the whole world that every Jew can call home. This tiny strip of land that comprises about two percent of the Middle East is all that stands between the Jewish people and an ocean of Arabs/Muslims clamoring to spill their blood. This isn't hyperbole either; this is the reality for Jews in Israel. For me, this is the best reason for the United States to support Israel - because it's the right thing to do.
So, some of my fellow Americans are apparently uniformed or willfully ignorant in their one-sided criticism of Israel when it comes to this US foreign aid red herring. They don't seem to object to Arab states taking the same American money that Israel gets, while giving back little outside of hatred and death. Some of my fellow Americans are blind. Just three years after deranged Arab/Muslim savages killed 3,000 of us on our own soil, they still don't seem to see how critical our alliance with Israel is. They wonder how we can afford to send so much foreign aid to our one true friend in all of the Middle East. I wonder how we could afford not to.
