Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

Maybe we need to -- The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

"Wonder how many missed the comment about Israel being the worlds 3rd leading exporter of weapons? I read many times that israel doesn't need our billions in subsidy we've been giving for decades, just to help them sell more weapons.
Maybe we need to rethink our supplying large cash gifts to a regime that is literally performing genocide."

[...]

In U.S. political discourse, it is axiomatic that Israel is in a constant struggle for survival. But this narrative is an anachronism. Israel is in a better strategic position than ever, and its sovereignty is beyond question. Let’s take a tour around the region: Israel has peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. It has normal relations with Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates. The Israelis also have informal ties with Saudi Arabia. Qatar allows Israeli diamond traders to do business in Doha, and Oman has recently agreed to open its airspace to Israel’s airliners.

Along with its Arab partners, the United States, and Europe, Israel has managed to marginalize the Palestinian question. Turkey and Israel reconciled after years of estrangement. And in one of the most unexpected developments in the Middle East in 2022, Lebanon and Israel established a maritime border and are partners of sorts in the exploitation of natural gas reserves off their shared coastline. Of Israel’s remaining Arab adversaries, Syria is devastated by a decade of civil war, Iraq remains unstable and inwardly focused, and others remain too far away and are incapable of threatening Israeli security.

Of course, Iran remains a significant challenge for Israel. The threat is real, and the Israelis have proven themselves adept at meeting it. In recent years, they have been striking the Iranians at will whether in Syria, Iraq, or Iran itself. Analysts refer to this as a “shadow war” or the “war between the war,” but it does not seem like a fair fight.

[...]

It is not appropriate for the United States to tell Israelis how to live or organize their society, but let’s no longer pretend that the two countries share democratic values. Perhaps the ongoing mass protests against the government will prove that Israel’s democratic practices are stronger than its demagogues. That would be a good thing for Israelis and strengthen the argument about values, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his partners do not seem to be backing down. Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan once said, “There is no nation like us, except Israel.” It was a nice sentiment, but it is not true, especially now.

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