International Is Israel a necessary ally in the Middle East?

[Garnet_StrongerThanYou]

What does the USA gain from its support of Israel?

People talk about the billions in funding that the USA sends to Israel, and I’ve heard many posters describe America as fighting Israel’s Wars.

I understand that one of the reasons the USA doesn’t just avoid the Middle East completely is they don’t want rivals like Russia or China gaining a powerful foothold in the Middle East and Growing to regret it later.

Is this the only reason an ongoing relationship with Israel is necessary?

Israel is a tiny country surrounded by hated rivals.

What would happen if the USA turned its back?

 

[ElKarlo]

Don’t want to find them. That’s on them I hate the Israel lobby and think it’s poison

they are better than the other side in that area imho.

 

[Sauron]

The answer is no.

Usually those who say yes say that Israel helps the US deal with Hezbollah / Syria etc but these are Israel's problems.

 

[BonesWinckleJones]

best intel in the world,a lot of the dirty work done by israel benefits US as well,jews control banks/silicon valley,etc..

 

[tenniswhiz]

What does the USA gain from its support of Israel?

People talk about the billions in funding that the USA sends to Israel, and I’ve heard many posters describe America as fighting Israel’s Wars.

I understand that one of the reasons the USA doesn’t just avoid the Middle East completely is they don’t want rivals like Russia or China gaining a powerful foothold in the Middle East and Growing to regret it later.

Is this the only reason an ongoing relationship with Israel is necessary?

Israel is a tiny country surrounded by hated rivals.

What would happen if the USA turned its back?

There are a lot of extremely influential Jewish people in the USA and Europe.

 

[Abazzdeboom]

I think the USA need to have a foot in every part of the globe and Israël is the only ally they can get there since every muslim country kinda hate them.
The ennemy of my ennemy is my ally or something like that.

 

[Oceanmachine]

I think we should leave the region entirely and focus on China and our own borders. If we dont then I guess Israel is the best by default given how Syria, Iraq are failed states, Egypt is an oppressive dictatorship that is on the brink of another civil war. The Saudis suck
Iran sucks
Lebanon is weak
Jordan is poor
Turkey is an enemy of Europe and the West

 

[White Whale]

Israel has done things to the United States of America that would be considered an act of war if any other country done them.

Israel is supposed to help keep the Middle East stable but the underhanded stuff they do to America really makes it hard to consider them a useful ally.

 

[ocfightfan]

What does the USA gain from its support of Israel?

People talk about the billions in funding that the USA sends to Israel, and I’ve heard many posters describe America as fighting Israel’s Wars.

I've also heard we do it for the oil, or that Christians are hoping to trigger the Second Coming. How about the fact that Israel, despite it's challenges, is an island of sanity and civilization in a sea of medieval lunacy. Or the fact that they are an excellent trading partner and have contributed to many tech advancements and jobs that America benefits from.

Read for yourself...
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-resolution/551/text?r=77&s=1

A few select items...

• 
  Whereas the United States-Israel Free Trade Agreement established the Joint Committee to facilitate the agreement and collaborate on efforts to increase bilateral cooperation and investment;
  Whereas since the signing of this agreement, two-way trade has multiplied tenfold to over $40,000,000,000 annually;

Whereas Israel is the third largest importer of United States goods in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates despite representing only 2 percent of the region’s population;

Whereas in 1977, the United States-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD) was established to stimulate, promote and support non-defense industrial research and development of mutual benefit to both countries in agriculture, communications, life sciences, electronics, electro-optics, energy, healthcare information technology, homeland security, software, water and other technologies, and has provided over $300,000,000 to over 700 joint projects since its inception;

Whereas in 1978, the United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund was established as a competitive funding program for mutually beneficial, mission-oriented, strategic and applied research of agricultural problems conducted jointly by American and Israeli scientists, and has provided over $250,000,000 to over 1,000 projects since its inception;

• 
  Whereas an independent review of the United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD) estimated that the dollar benefits of just 10 of its projects through 2010 came to $440,000,000 in the United States and $300,000,000 in Israel, far exceeding total investment in the program;

Certainly they benefit from Americas investment, but we also benefit from theirs. It's not completely one-sided, and is much better than what we spend on just about any other ally. And really, does the world need another corrupt Arab state?

I understand that one of the reasons the USA doesn’t just avoid the Middle East completely is they don’t want rivals like Russia or China gaining a powerful foothold in the Middle East and Growing to regret it later.

Is this the only reason an ongoing relationship with Israel is necessary?

Israel is a tiny country surrounded by hated rivals.

What would happen if the USA turned its back?

If we abandoned Israel then we are probably looking at an even more aggressive Israel, and a nuclear war in the M.E. Everyone in that region would have even fewer reasons to behave themselves. Israel would be forced to go full thug life to defend itself against it's enemies. Lots of people would die and there would be an environmental disaster that I can't guarantee wouldn't affect us in a meaningful way.

It should also be noted that many of Israel's "enemies" are secretly benefitting from her. That includes the fact that Israeli companies are the biggest employers of Palestinians and Jordan is benefiting from water projects developed by Israel.

The real issue is the toxic nature of Arab culture. It's a very authoritarian top down culture that takes too many cues from the dark ages.

 

[DoctorDeelon]

Israel is an important ally, they're worth having a relationship with. Palestine and their terrorists Hamas? What do they bring to the table? Nada. Zilch.

Let the brain-dead liberals support Hamas, but actual elected officials need to get behind the great state of Israel.

 

[Oceanmachine]

I've also heard we do it for the oil, or that Christians are hoping to trigger the Second Coming. How about the fact that Israel, despite it's challenges, is an island of sanity and civilization in a sea of medieval lunacy. Or the fact that they are an excellent trading partner and have contributed to many tech advancements and jobs that America benefits from.

Read for yourself...
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-resolution/551/text?r=77&s=1

A few select items...







Certainly they benefit from Americas investment, but we also benefit from theirs. It's not completely one-sided, and is much better than what we spend on just about any other ally. And really, does the world need another corrupt Arab state?



If we abandoned Israel then we are probably looking at an even more aggressive Israel, and a nuclear war in the M.E. Everyone in that region would have even fewer reasons to behave themselves. Israel would be forced to go full thug life to defend itself against it's enemies. Lots of people would die and there would be an environmental disaster that I can't guarantee wouldn't affect us in a meaningful way.

It should also be noted that many of Israel's "enemies" are secretly benefitting from her. That includes the fact that Israeli companies are the biggest employers of Palestinians and Jordan is benefiting from water projects developed by Israel.

The real issue is the toxic nature of Arab culture. It's a very authoritarian top down culture that takes too many cues from the dark ages.

Yeah the sane world cares about trade and economics.


Israel signed a major trade deal yet again with other nation this time South Korea, so they move on with technology.

http://www.koreatimesus.com/s-korea-israel-ink-fta-cars-auto-parts-among-major-beneficiaries/

 

[Halifax]

What does the USA gain from its support of Israel?

People talk about the billions in funding that the USA sends to Israel, and I’ve heard many posters describe America as fighting Israel’s Wars.

I understand that one of the reasons the USA doesn’t just avoid the Middle East completely is they don’t want rivals like Russia or China gaining a powerful foothold in the Middle East and Growing to regret it later.

Is this the only reason an ongoing relationship with Israel is necessary?

Israel is a tiny country surrounded by hated rivals.

What would happen if the USA turned its back?

We have 5 threads on the situation and you don't need to make a new one every time you have a question

 

[freakroor]

Don’t want to find them. That’s on them .

who needs to be found?

 

[Fluffernutter]

What do voters in swing states think?

 

[PolishHeadlock2]

Israel is basically still being rewarded for services rendered during the cold war

 

[TheGreatA]

You probably don't want them to be your enemy.

 

[Goatenstein]

They have to keep Israel around to make believe that the bible is real.

 

[Proud American]

Iran yes
Israel no

one is a powerful civilization state that still exudes power when all are against it

Israel needs welfare to survive.

 

[Holic]

Speaking objectively, Stuxnet alone was worth an allied partnership for the US. We could've hit North Korea, Russia, and anyone else trying to step out of line and go nuclear with that worm.

But NOoOoOoOoOo Obama had to go blab to his Iranian buddies about it and now the Israelis won't trust us with another cyber weapon like that again.

 

[Misanthropist]

They gain everything because it’s the PROMISED land!