Israel: A liberal's dilemma ....

[Flying_Pig]

I am angry. I am angry that Ariel Sharon and his Likud government have made it impossible for me to support Israel. As an American liberal and supporter of Israel for over 33 years (my support ended with the re-election of Ariel Sharon), how in good conscious can I continue to support the following?:

1. The fact that Israel is engaged in undemocratic and unjust practices, amounting to apartheid and fascism. How can I support that?

2. Israel fully supports the Bush regime, and the PNAC neocon cabal behind them (and visa-versa). Many of PNAC's principals, have in fact worked for the Likud government. PNAC's published goals include world domination, wars, the subjugation of the Middle East, and control over its oil resources. How can I support that?

3. Israel, thorough its numerous friends and allies in AIPAC, PNAC, JINSA, and the media, have incredible proportional influence on the political workings of our government, up to, and including, supporting candidates (both Republican and Democrat), friendly to their goals. They also use these organizations to support the fascist Bush regime, to the detriment of the American nation and its people. At this very moment, they are working to seek ways to keep the Bush regime in office, so they can maintain status quo. As it is illegal, according to our Constitution, to allow an outside nation to influence the workings of our government is such a manner, ...how can I support that?

4. It is apparent Israel does not support the concept of a Palestinian state, perhaps leading to Middle East peace. Their leading government ministers have publicly stated this, and have shown their non-commitment to the peace process by illegally claiming more Palestinian territory, and building walls, rather than seeking peace. How can I support that?

5. Israel has been condemned by numerous U.N. resolutions over the years, and has ignored virtually all U.N. and U.S. attempts to mediate peace. How can I support that?

It is a dilemma. Israel's government has befriended and embraced people I consider to be enemies of my country (the Bush regime). Would Israel's supporters here, kindly tell me how I can reconcile this dilemma, and how you are doing it with your continued support of Israel, right, or wrong? Please explain how you can consider yourself a liberal, and a Democrat, when you support those are that are diligently working to keep Bush in office, and drag this nation into more wars and fascism.

I need to know.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

1. I Support Israel and the United States

but not blindly....

I think the Bush administration is bad for America and I think the Sharon administration is bad for Israel.....

But that doesn't mean I'm willing to abandon either...

[Flying_Pig]

6. With all due respect, it seems you may not be willing to abandon

a rolling train wreck, about to go over a cliff, in both cases. To me, the opposite of abandonment, is embrace. One either does, or does not, support. Perhaps I am too literal of a person, but there is no middle ground in my love for this country, nor my enmity towards those I feel are harming it.

I, being an agnostic, and despite having some Jewish heritage, am not swayed by religious issues. Could religion be why so many are willing to overlook the failures and dangers here? It really is such a complex issue, involving history, religion, politics, the holocaust, and dozens of other factors. Still, to me, there is right, and there is wrong. Bush and Sharon are wrong. They are wrong for their countries, and wrong for the world.

[Flying_Pig]

7. Please note, that I have to run a quick errand, and will not be able

to reply to posts for an hour or so. I'll be back. I would be very interested to hear the comments of Israel supporters. I am sincerely interested in hearing their reasoning.

[mmm]

2. If the choice comes down between Bush and Kucinich...

those who see the support of Israel as the major (only) issue
will vote Bush! I ask you, what kind of Democrat is that?

[Free_Thinker]

3. Neutrality

Let's try being neutral over there.
Of course we subsidize Israel with American taxpayers money, which could be going to fund medical care for all Americans, which could be used to properly educate the children of America, the gap between rich and poor in this nation grows ever larger, we could use the nearly one trillion dollars, Economist tallies swelling cost of Israel to US, for progressive advancement of the disenfranchised of this country.

Israel has over 400 nukes, they are in violation of countless U.N. resolutions. Taxpayer money that could be feeding our children, educating our children, helping to end the despair in our inner cities and among the other victims of the capitalist elites, goes now toward funding weapons that kill Palestinian women and children and which earns America the enmity of much of the world.

Amnesty International report on Israeli war crimes in the occupied territories

[Taxi Driver]

5. Thank you!!!!

They hqave the third biggest nuclear arsenal in the world. They receive $10 billion dollars a year from us. I'm sick of this shit.

[Taxi Driver]

4. I don't know how to say this.

I support Israel's right to exist, but look at how America vetoes all UN resolutions that would bring stability to the mideast. America, and Bush, are Israel's tool, not the other way around.