Leaving aside your dispute with Lefty (I notice that he hasn’t replied to my answer), your level of anxiety about Israel is (probably) precisely due to the fact that you are not living here. You, and many other brothers and sisters living abroad display the same syndrome – undue anxiety for us local siblings.

Both I (the author of the post) and prof. Rubin (the author of the article that is linked from this post) live in Israel. This explains the different outlook.

You have described the dangers quite succinctly, and no one will argue with you. Just a question: so what else is new? New tools for mass destruction, new weaponry etc. – this could be surmounted as long as we are united.

Otherwise, we should worry, but not to the level of distraction – it is bad for one’s liver and stomach (I highly value both).

Cheers and best.

It might feel funny for that author that Israel exists, but speaking as a Jew living outside Israel, its not the least bit “funny” (aka. Odd) to me.

Furthermore, the situation we are in is NOT hype.

Israel is surrounded by openly genocidal enemies. Israel’s enemies are ideologically strong. Israel is threatened with nuclear extermination. Israel’s leadership is weak. Israel’s government is weakening the country and leading us towards national suicide. Israel’s so-called “allies” (such as America) are helping pave the way for Israel’s destruction.

This is reality – and its time we tried to accept and then change this reality rather than pretending it were different.

Incidentally if we did rat on Israel, the way we did on South Vietnam and the way so many (mostly on the left but some on the right) here want to do to the Iraqis, we would not earn any gratitude from the Arabs for such a cowardly performance. James Baker and other “realists” are deluding themselves if they think that. What we would get is undying contempt from the Arabs for ratting on our friends.

Furthermore Arabs tend to become overoptimistic about their ability to make war when they perceive weakness of will and can count on having a numerical superiority of men and weapons. This perception may be, indeed is likely to be, inaccurate, but the perception leads to war. That is what happened in both 1967 and 1973.

Egypt’s peace with Israel is a frigidly cold one. The Egyptian government constantly spews out vicious antisemitic propaganda to its people and to others in the Middle East and the world. It was Egypt, for example, that recently made a huge multi-part TV series from the “Protocal of the Elders of Zion.” That’s the book, remember, that has been called the Warrant for Genocide, and the government of Egypt has been popularizing it.

The minute the Arabs think they can win against Israel you’ll see them all joining up to do the job. The tropes of “Arab Unity” wiil flow like water ove Niagra Falls, at any rate until the war is done. Better not to let them get any such perceptions that they can win, even if false.

“Secondly, if the USA does not continue to help Israel, a tiny country (the size of New Jersey) in the midst of enemies, I think that Israel will not be secure for long.” And therein lies the debate. Israel has made peace with Egypt and Jordan, the Syrians are so weak they can’t even take back the Golan Heights, the Palestinians have no tanks or aircraft, and the Israelis can go after Hizbullah any time they want. Considering the relative weakness of Israel’s foes, and considering that Israel is basically richer than Portugal and has an increasingly prosperous high-tech economy, it’s hard to see why Israel requires military or economic aid.

“Well, duh!” is a healthy response to any article and shows that you carry the necessary charge of skepticism. Always good.

Re the continuing US help – there are several good reasons for it:

1. While the amount of help (something in the region of 2.5 B) will not cripple the Israeli economy if it is ceased, it will create a sizable dent that simply cannot be covered without a serious imbalance.

2. No less important than the money by itself is the availability of the military stuff that is purchased using this money. There are not a lot of countries that will readily replace US in this regard.

3. The money (most of it, at least) goes back to the US suppliers, who are quite happy about it.

4. The amount of testing done by Israeli pilots, armored troops, technicians, etc. is indirectly paying back a lot of money to the military equipment suppliers, DoD and its branches, so it is not all a loss.

There is more, but the above should be sufficient.

Secondly, if the USA does not continue to help Israel, a tiny country (the size of New Jersey) in the midst of enemies, I think that Israel will not be secure for long. Personally I’m kind of pleased that the USA is helping to prevent the Muslims from finishing the job Hitler started, and if it earns us the enmity of fascists and religious fanatics who hate all non-Muslims, they can shove their enmity, as hard as possible, where the sun doesn’t shine.

And if they come to kill us over this issue they should be made to regret their evil stupidity very strongly for a very long time, those who survive the experience. So far in the war against the jihadist terrorists we have not exerted a tithe of the power we could exert. Any smart Muslims out there had better pray to Allah, five times a day, that we never do feel the need to exert more.

A more interesting question is, considering that Israel is generally secure, why does America give Israel aid? It seems unnecessary to give aid to a first world country facing third world foes, rather than simply allowing Israel to purchase American military equipment.

I’m the exception – I love matza and prefer it to bread.