Why do the ring wing love Israel ?

[Captain Oates 911]

Well, perhaps you shouldn't be so eager to parrot Nazi propaganda points like mentioning the 'fact' () of Jewish domination of banking.

Well Goldman Sachs sure isn't dominated by the innuit if that is what you are trying to say. Get real

[Captain Oates 911]

Funny that. Most Israeli military materiel was supplied by the British from 1948 up to 1957. Things only cooled after the last adventure of the British Empire, in conjunction with the French, the Suez Canal debacle of 1956, in which we involved the Israelis as part of the attempt to seize control of the canal from Nasser and the Egyptian government.

Then the French became the major suppliers, right up until 1967, when de Gaulle did an abrupt 180 degree and cut the Israelis off stone cold.

The US interest built when the neighbouring Arab nations, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, etc. decided to look to the USSR for their political and military support. Israel became a kind of US proxy in the Middle East, keeping the influence of the Red Bear in check.

Well that is another angle that people have not mentioned before.

But now that the USSR is no longer a threat, Israel is a bigger 'ally' than ever so something else must be going on in the present time

[Pooky 3,784]

Well that is another angle that people have not mentioned before.

But now that the USSR is no longer a threat, Israel is a bigger 'ally' than ever so something else must be going on in the present time

Iran

[Captain Oates 911]

Iran

Iran poses a rivalry for domination of the gulf - that is true, however Iran poses no threat to the US

In any case, I reckon that without the USSR and without Iran, the fawning attitude towards Israel would still continue. Does anyone doubt that ?

Obama kicked Churchill's statue out of the white house. Would he DARE do that with a painting of say, Golda Meir ?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

The US interest built when the neighbouring Arab nations, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, etc. decided to look to the USSR for their political and military support. Israel became a kind of US proxy in the Middle East, keeping the influence of the Red Bear in check.

Not to mention a great place to acquire second hand Soviet technology. We reversed engineered the Ribbon Bridge after Egypt's failed attempt to reclaim the Sinai Peninsula.

Ribbon equipment was actually reverse engineered at the United States Army Mobility Equipment Research and Development Command (MERADCOM) at Fort Belvoir, Virginia from photographs and drawings of the Soviet PMP Bridge. Since 1962 the Soviet Army was armed with this type of PMP. The Soviet steeltype Folding Float Bridge designated PMP that was used by Egyptian units to cross the Suez Canal in 1973. The only difference was that the US used duralumin instead of steel for pontoons and installed them on American trucks. The US copy even used the same number of bolts on hatches leading inside pontoons.

The ribbon bridge system was type classified in June 1972, and is currently the United States Army's primary assault floating bridge.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/rb.htm

Edited May 25, 2011 by Some Old Guy

[Golden Gate 530]

Well that is another angle that people have not mentioned before.

But now that the USSR is no longer a threat, Israel is a bigger 'ally' than ever so something else must be going on in the present time

Since there is no cold war, hasn't the threat switched to "Islam"?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Since there is no cold war, hasn't the threat switched to "Islam"?

It always was, since the Fall of Tripoli, just getting back to old business.

[Captain Oates 911]

Since there is no cold war, hasn't the threat switched to "Islam"?

Without Islam/Russia/Iran etc etc etc I reckon the Israel thing would be just as strong

I don't think the bond is from practical purposes at all in the way that an alliance with any other country would be

The US will never have a reason to walk away from being a total supporter and sponsor and funder of Israel - even if all the surrounding countries converted to calvanism and became as democratic as Switzerland and applied to be dependant territories of the US

There is another factor and it isn't 'practical politics' of the region - more 'practical politics' within the US

[Golden Gate 530]

What practical politics?

[scandal 951]

Oh dear it looks like I will have to restate my history as it has been forgotten already.

I worked in a Jewish family firm and became part of the family

My boss (the owner) was an Egyptian Jew who's first language was French and he actually fired a jew who was a member of his temple, in order to promote me. We used to seek out each others company at lunch time and laugh when he told me about the jews taking the wrong turn when they came out of Egypt. His son in law was a personal friend of mine and most of the jewish jokes I know were told to me by him. Many of the jews I mixed with were totally relaxed about discussing issues and the uptight attitudes and anti-semite/nazi calling stuff usually comes from college kids who are non jews

The discussion was going very well until people started with the small moustached Austrian stuff which is so easy and so cheap to do and ruins any discussion of the US/Israeli issues

Yeah, yeah, we got it.

Some of your best friends are Jewish. How nice for you.

[Captain Oates 911]

What practical politics?

Well I have listened to all the factors above and I gave weight to them at first .

Then I remembered Jeremy Paxman saying to the US Ambassador in London "Just what would the Israelis have to do in order for you to criticize them ".

That tells me that all these external reasons that have been detailed above are not what is behind it because the 'bond' would not go away if these factors went away

That only leaves the influence of the Israeli lobby in the US - much in the same way as every President has to discover Irish roots before every election.

I thought it was complicated but I think it is as simple as that

[Pooky 3,784]

Well I have listened to all the factors above and I gave weight to them at first .

Then I remembered Jeremy Paxman saying to the US Ambassador in London "Just what would the Israelis have to do in order for you to criticize them ".

That tells me that all these external reasons that have been detailed above are not what is behind it because the 'bond' would not go away if these factors went away

That only leaves the influence of the Israeli lobby in the US - much in the same way as every President has to discover Irish roots before every election.

I thought it was complicated but I think it is as simple as that

So, you based your whole opinion regarding Israel on something Jeremy Paxman said?

You need to get out more.

[Captain Oates 911]

So, you based your whole opinion regarding Israel on something Jeremy Paxman said?

You need to get out more.

I was getting out more when you were in nappies and drinking gripe water.

It struck a chord and summed the situation up perfectly. At no time did I say that my whole opinion on Israel is based on what Paxman said - you made that up

You simply made that up... what's the point having a debate if people make stuff up ?

Who do you take your lead from other than yourself in isolation ?

Nothing wrong with listening to various opinions and adopting the parts that sound right

Jeremy Paxman (a fellow Yorkshireman) is no mug. He can be rather abrasive but his opinions should not be discounted for that

[Golden Gate 530]

"Except for the State of the Union address, the AIPAC Policy Conference is the largest annual bipartisan gathering of U.S. senators, representatives, administration officials, diplomats and foreign ambassadors." From the AIPAC website...

[Captain Oates 911]

This a great debate