Is Israel Really A Staunch Ally?
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Allan Jefferys is a fine writer and I enjoy his columns. However, I disagree with his definition of Israel as “one of our staunchest allies.” It is the other way around. The United States continues to offer unconditional support to Israel, including:
— An unaccountable $4.3 billion in annual aid ($500 for each Israeli, every year).
— Exclusive, up-front total aid payments within the first 30 days, instead of four quarterly payments, costing U.S. taxpayers an additional $60 million annually.
— Loan guarantees enabling Israel to borrow from commercial banks at lower rates (costing U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars covering these guarantees).
— Guaranteeing Israel’s oil needs by maintaining a “Supplementary Strategic Reserve” in America.
— Military aid enabling Israel to purchase the widest array of weaponry at lower prices, with delivery priority; participation in joint research and funding Israel’s independent weapons research.
— Backing Israel diplomatically. (The U.S. has vetoed 42 United Nations security resolutions, to date, that were critical of Israel.)
And how has “our staunchest ally” responded to our unequivocal support?
— Israel refuses to sign the Nuclear and WMD Non-Proliferation Treaty.
— Israel continues to act against U.S./Middle East diplomatic interests.
— Israel sells U.S. military technologies to our potential enemies (e.g., China).
— Israel conducts espionage operations against the United States on U.S. soil.
— And, lest we forget, Israel’s unprovoked June 8, 1967, attack, in neutral waters, on the USS Liberty by Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats, killing 34 U.S. sailors and extensively damaging our flag-flying ship.
With “staunch allies” like this, who needs enemies?
Barry Tompkins
Whispering Pines
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Comments
JER 1 year, 11 months ago
Yes, money doesn't buy the kind of friends it used to.
Renfro 1 year, 11 months ago
Mr Tompins is not only right but his list is just the tip of the iceberg.
In addition to US loan guarentees, the US also guarentees Israeli government bonds, bonds sold to enable Israel to meet it's own government obligations. The 1973 MOU that guarentees Israel a supply of fuel when they need it can be seen in the 3 shipments of jet fuel from the US over the past 3 years. And the shipment of excess fuel from US stores used in the invasion of Iraq as well as weapons and equipment to Israel on the premise that it too expensive to ship back to the US. It would take more time than I have to list all the agencies and programs, not even related to military aid, that congress appropiates money to Israel for. Not to mention the huge sums of pension and retirment funds invested in Israel by US state and city and union enities. Probably one of the most disgusting acts I have seen recently, in 2010, was an earmark by Congressman Ackerman for 50 million+ for Israeli hospitals--at a time when Americans have to line up a free clinics for health care provide by doctors on their own dime, not the governments. In 2005 the Christian Science Monitor published an accounting of US aid to Israel which then totaled 1.4 trillion dollars in direct and indirect aid. One can only imagine what that amount totals now. Aand in return we have gotten basically - nothing.Except demands for more. Who in DC is representing America--anyone know?
Renfro 1 year, 11 months ago
One other example needs to be made about Washington's love of Israel and the Israel Lobby in DC. The famous Budget Committee this year recommended ending the 2.5 billion in aid for the US elderly poor for energency heating in sever weather. While they fell all themselves so turn around and vote for 3 billion in aid to Israel. Campaign money from US pro Israel donors to politicians = taxpayers give Israel everything it demands. What a scheme! The Mafia didn't have as large a pool of suckers as Israel and our politicians have in the US public.
Ross 1 year, 11 months ago
"Allan Jefferys is a fine writer and I enjoy his columns"...........whew - I stopped reading after that sentence!
ehightower 1 year, 11 months ago
Israel owns the U.S. Congress. If a politician wants to get reelected he or she had better make sure that Israel gets whatever it wants. Israel's lobbying organization uses intimidation to assure that our tax dollars flow to Israell without interruption. With Israel as a friend, who needs enemies?
ehightower 1 year, 11 months ago
Also notice that while demanding that Iran stop its nuclear program no mention is ever made by the U.S. government that Israel should stop manufacturing nuclear weapns. The fact that Israel has nuclear weapons is a prohibited subject for politicians or the U.S. press. AIPAC wouldin't like it.
OldPilot 1 year, 11 months ago
I'm no a particular fan of Mr. Jefferys but his column was well taken. As usual anything concerning Israel brings out the "anti" crowd and the same tired old criticisms. Prehaps Mr. Tompkins will replace Earle Hightower as The Pilots resident critic of everything to do with Israel? The Pilot seems to find it necessary to publish this kind of stuff several times a year for no particular reason. Maybe red meat for some of it's readership? US foreign aid, loan guarantees, and weapons sales flow to many countries. Many US allies readily publicly criticize the US and disagree with US foreign policy. The 1967 incident gets brought up every time and like so much of the rest is totally irrelevant.
ehightower 1 year, 10 months ago
OldPilot, what is your real name? I visualize you as a pudgy nobody working in a nondescript job who callls himself OldPilot in order to look macho. You criticize people and call them names but you are afraid to identify yourself. What are you hiding? Your idol is probably convicted spy Johnathan Pollard..
golfpoor 1 year, 11 months ago
I think I understand Mr. Tompkins' position regarding his opinion that Israel cannot be considered America's staunchest ally. Maybe staunchest ally is not the right term to describe that relationship. Perhaps only civilized country in the middle east which embraces American ideals would have been better. Perhaps the country which wept when Americans were killed on 9/11 instead of dancing in the street, should have been the title to the op ed. Perhaps only country in the middle east which responds to emergencies in other countries often hostile to Israel, should have been the title.
I agree, Mr. Tompkins that Israel cannot be considered our staunchest ally if that means being able to military assist the United States in its various wars. It is too small. But just perhaps they are our staunchest ally with respect to our shared love of life and the freedom to have opinions and to worship as we please.
America and Israel are fellow travelers on the road to freedom, and that seems like a pretty good ally to me.
Arestorer 1 year, 11 months ago
America and Israel are fellow travelers on the road to freedom, and that seems like a pretty good ally to me.
I believe "fellow travelers" would be going dutch....Bought friends never last..
marathonman 1 year, 11 months ago
I am eternally grateful that folks who make statements about foreign policy of the U.S. are not actually making those decisions for us. In this case totally uninformed about how important Israel is to our balance of power and influence in the middle east. I know we have a Prez who carries a grudge against us and somehow manipulated his way into the White House, but even he will be persuaded that we will continue to support our friend Israel. Secondly, Obama has been taken to the woodshed by Netanyahu, and others at the recent G8 summit, and needs to be taken to the woodshed on a number of other of his absolutely unexplainable and unacceptable lapses in common sense over the past 3 years. Where is the watchdog press who loved taking GW Bush to the woodshed over his apparent guffaws, but never did he intentionally denigrate our country here or abroad. Judeo/Christian values will endure. All are welcome to our shores who are legally here, accept and adopt our customs and values and speak English. We are patient with those who struggle with the language, but we will not submit to other cultures or laws prevailing. We worked to long and to hard to change because others disagree and want to dismantle all we are.
OldPilot 1 year, 11 months ago
golfpoor and marathonman, I stand with you.
teufelhunden 1 year, 11 months ago
golfpoor, marathonman, oldpilot, I stand with you.
honesty2 1 year, 11 months ago
me three
TreadLightly 1 year, 11 months ago
Half of our "good" allies will be under Sharia Law in 10 or 20 years. If Israel goes away, change that to 10 or 20 months.
teufelhunden 1 year, 11 months ago
Yepper
OldPilot 1 year, 11 months ago
I agree with TreadLightly but think that appraisal is optomistic. If Israel is lost, in the most simplistic terms, the bad guys win, the good guys lose, and that entire part of the planet goes back to medieval times, at best. Apparently Tompkins, JER, Hightower, Renfro, Arestor and their ilk think Muslim dictatorships killing in the name of their desire for an Islamic calephate in the middle east, worse worldwide, is preferable to the continued existance of a pint size country that is the only democracy in the middle-east. The funny part is if these folks found themselves magically transported to any part of the mid-east except Israel they would be screaming to be rescued.
geoffcutler 1 year, 11 months ago
A really good point! And it's sad that that's probably what it would take for the big "wake-up." Don't understand the inability, despite how one might feel about Israel, not to at least recognize that they are our allies in the Middle East. Not the other way around. Perplexing!
teufelhunden 1 year, 11 months ago
Good one and totally correct.
honesty2 1 year, 11 months ago
Exactly. And who will we call on when Iran gets nuclear weapons- not if- when?
Bradford835 1 year, 11 months ago
I assume Mr Tompkins prefers the other options available in the middle east. I wish he would have have pointed out the benefits a Hamas run state has to US interest in the region.
jamjam 1 year, 11 months ago
Israel is a Country of terrorist. call them freedom fighters or what ever, the truth is they will turn on us again. remember the Liberty the fine Americans murder by our “allies” just another example of instutionalized thinking on the part of the blind followers of dogma.but on the other hand,"keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
OldPilot 1 year, 11 months ago
The 1967 USS Liberty incident was a "fog of war" accident, nothing more, and has been deemed such by every credible study of the incident. US forces have killed US and allied forces in "friendly fire" incidents in every war there ever was including, with all the sophisticated systems in place, Iraq and Afghanistan. In 1967 the US Navy chose to sail an essentially unmarken electronic surveilance vessel close to a war zone. Israeli forces mistook it for an enemy vessel. The attack was called off instantly when the mistake discovered. Israel apologized, paid $6 million for the vessel and over $6 million for the crew injuries and deaths. Contrast that to the capture of the intelligence ship USS Pueblo in international waters by North Korea, crew imprisoned, ship gone. How about the dumbbell Chinese pilot who, while trying to intimidate a US Navy P-3 electronic surveilance aircraft in international airspace collided with the P-3. The P-3 landed on Hainin Island. The Chinese stripped the airplane, imprisoned the crew briefly and made the US remove the airplane in pieces, essentially rubbing our noses in... You are entitled to your opinions jimjam but you aren't allowed to make up "facts".
jamjam 1 year, 11 months ago
i guess it's who's facts you wish to believe. the american flag flew that day, it was visable for miles and ignored.
OldPilot 1 year, 11 months ago
"...visible for miles....? You were there? The US flag would have to have been half the size of the old freighter, which is what the Liberty was, to be "visible for miles". Visible thru haze, at night, from a PT type boat low to the surface, or in daylight from an aircraft flying at a couple of hundred knots far enough from the ship to avoid possible defensive fire. No way. A deliberate attack makes no sense from the standpoint of Israel, they had nothing to gain from doing so and everything to lose, but an accidental attack makes complete sense given the circumstances. Everyone is entitled to believe whatever they wish, no matter how illogical. Interesting that the North Korean or Chinese incidents are of no concern to you but a 44 year old fog of war accident is...
jamjam 1 year, 11 months ago
I watched interviews of the men on board the USS liberty. their views are more accurate than the reports wrote by men far away. I suppose it would be like the men who fought on Wake Island. they said that the movie wasn't even close to the events that occurred. The attack on the Liberty wasn't a two minute affair either, it lasted to long to be a mistake. Do you think that the 9/11 Commission Report is accurate to the tee?. I have read reputable articles that indicate the the Israeli equivalent to the secrete service had information about the 9/11 attackers and did not share said information. If that is true then can Israel be consider friend? to firm up their position they allowed this information to remain in their procession as a secrete. Freedom in the region was mentioned in a post, not as long as Israel subjugates others.
JER 1 year, 11 months ago
"US interest in the region". That's what it's all about. When we stop using democracy as our excuse for interfering in the affairs of other nations, I believe terrorism will subside. Take away "US interest in the region", remove our military and let the people who live there resolve their own issues. It would save us lives, money and eventually, make us some real allies that we don't have to purchase.
OldPilot 1 year, 11 months ago
"US interest in the region" is much more broad and complex than "democracy". The US sells billions in arms to middle east countries, which supports our arms industry to a great extent by keeping production lines open, and the maintenance & parts business is worth billions. We buy oil and lots of it from several countries in the region. Look at the numbers for both sales to and purchases from Saudi Arabia. To the extent we intervene in events in the region it is done for what appears to be in the best interest of the US at the time. To suggest that the alliance between Israel and the USA is purchased is short sighted, demonstrates a complete lack on understand, knowledge and appreciation of and for history and is insulting. Makes one think of those who advocated the US stay out of another "entangling war", that being WW II
JER 1 year, 11 months ago
The only way to prove my point about purchasing allies is to stop paying them and see if they are still our friends. And your drawing comparisons to World War Two is beyond insulting. We didn't send troops in to boost our arms manufacturers ability to sell their products or to provide jobs for our military. We were not there to secure needed raw materials or to develop markets for our domestic production. We were there to beat back a lunatic and we did it with a mostly volunteer military along with a committed group of allies. Our "interest in the region" was not a business decision. As I stated, the use of the term "democracy" is the cover we use to keep the US citizens on board with our need to occupy other countries for monetary gain and your reply to my first post bears this out.
ehightower 1 year, 10 months ago
I don't what "Old Pilot" was piloting but certainly wasn't a U.S. plane. He is a frantic defender of Israel. If you want to find out how Israel got its first bomb go to Googlle and then Nuclear Materials Equipment Corporation.