Israel is in one of the periodic periods of Hot War that it’s long-simmering conflict with it’s neighbors goes through. And the usual cast of thinkers are out in force, explaining why what Israel is doing is wrong, must be stopped, and – most important of all – why the US must withdraw our support from Israel.<\/p>\n
I want to take a few moments and lay out some thoughts on why it is that we’re right to support Israel, why it is that our support matters to us and to them, and why our visible support of Israel matters a lot to Israel’s Arab neighbors, in the Palestinian proto-state and the surrounding countries.<\/p>\n
The major reason to support the people and nation of Israel is because of the kind of people they are. Not the Jewish kind – but the kind of people who have elections and where power changes hands without people being thrown from the tops of buildings<\/a>. That the Israelis are the kind of people who I believe have the capability to kill all of their enemies, but lack the desire to do so. I think at this point that this represents the truth: “If Israel chose to murder the Palestinians, they would be dead. If the Palestinians chose peace with Israel, there would be peace.<\/i>” <\/p>\n It does not mean that Israel holds no blame or responsibility – not at all. But the people who bitterly oppose Israel – who are products of a culture based in large part on opposing Israel, the West and everything they stand for – are my enemies as well.<\/p>\n But even as my enemies, I am unwilling to write them off.<\/p>\n And here’s the problem. As I never tire of reminding people, the disparity in power between Israel and the Palestinian proto-states (and the entire Arab world) is immense, driven in large part by the cultural gap between the westernized Israelis and the balance of the Middle East.<\/p>\n