Cruz, Heller, Rubio: move embassy to Jerusalem or we'll cut diplomatic security

[SATW]

Israel has never and will never determine American foreign policy. To imply so is ridiculous and shows the ignorance of many on the U.S. - Israel Relationship.

Eisenhower took the side of Soviet aligned Egypt over Israel, the UK and France during the Suez Canal Crisis
Until the 1960's, the U.S. never provided weapons to Israel (IDR who provided the weapons, JFK or LBJ, but one of them did)
JFK constantly hounded Israel on its nuclear program and did everything he could to disrupt their plans and progress.
Until the 1980's, the U.S. never had deep and intimate military and defense contacts w/ Israel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Cooperation_Agreement and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Political_Military_Group)
To this day, the U.S. has engaged in foreign policy initiatives that Israel does not support.
- #1: Reagan Selling AWACS to Saudi Arabia; AIPAC opposed this; Israel opposed this.
- #2: Reagan Admin opposing Israel's decision to destroy the Iraqi Nuclear Reactor in the 1980's and to respond to Libyan terror attacks in the 1980's.
- #3: Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard got one of the longest sentences of any spy ever caught on American soil - yes, even over soviet spies. Was not released until 2015 and even now he can't ever go to Israel.
- #4: The U.S. forcing Israel not to attack Iraq during the Gulf War after Hussein started launching scud missiles into Israel
- #5: George H.W. Bush and Barack Obama loudly and publicly opposed Israel's settlement activity.
- #6: Barack Obama and the P5+1 signed a (horrible) Iran Nuclear Deal despite Israel's constant and loud protests against it.

Also, until Bill Clinton, there was a dominant sphere of foreign policy thought that was super critical of Israel and super cozy towards Arabist political thought and interests. It has returned, somewhat, under Obama, but I wouldn't call his policy Arabist. His policies have devastated the Arab world equally as much as Israel.


Also, for those of you who think Arabist is a "derogatory term", here's what I mean by Arabist: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabist_(political)

So, someone please explain to me, how does Israel "run our foreign policy"?

[SATW]

These dopes do more for Israel then they do for the US

I'll never understand the Israel fetishism in American politics.

Lingering guilt, perhaps?  It's like we're overcompensating for our inaction in preventing the Holocaust.  So we're letting Israel determine our foreign policy.  

It's almost like antisemitism is still one of the most prevalent prejudices in the world today and that many, many nations around the world - most of them right next door to Israel - wants to exterminate Jews from existence.

Again, somebody please explain to me why in the effing hell we are helping Iran get nukes (and giving them billions to pay for it)? This is the world's largest sponsor of terrorism - a country that routinely has government mandated rallies chanting 'death to america/israel'.

Yeah, there's no risk of nuclear proliferation among terrorists there. Israel is clearly overreacting...

I was with you until you repeated that hackish talking point. The fact is that only 15 percent of Muslims worldwide are shiite, leaving Iran with little to work with. Saudi money on the other hand penetrates a wide array of western mosques...

What are you babbling about? This is literally one of the most inane and ridiculous comments I have ever seen on here. What do demographics have to do with the fact that Iran literally has carried out terrorist attacks via Hezbollah in multiple continents?

https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2014/239410.htm (U.S. State Department)

IRAN

Designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism in 1984, Iran continued its terrorist-related activity in 2014, including support for Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, Lebanese Hizballah, and various groups in Iraq and throughout the Middle East. This year, Iran increased its assistance to Iraqi Shia militias, one of which is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), in response to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) incursion into Iraq, and has continued to support other militia groups in the region. Iran also attempted to smuggle weapons to Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza. While its main effort focused on supporting goals in the Middle East, particularly in Syria, Iran and its proxies also continued subtle efforts at growing influence elsewhere including in Africa, Asia, and, to a lesser extent, Latin America. Iran used the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to implement foreign policy goals, provide cover for intelligence operations, and create instability in the Middle East. The IRGC-QF* is the regime’s primary mechanism for cultivating and supporting terrorists abroad.

* Revolutionary Guards.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_attack_on_Israeli_embassy_in_Buenos_Aires
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMIA_bombing

Iran's finger-prints are all over both of those Hezbollah-linked attacks in Argentina.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_attacks_on_Israeli_diplomats

Indian intell and counter-terrorism experts blamed Iran for this attack.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khobar_Towers_bombing

Hezbollah blamed for this attack that killed 19 American Air Force personnel.


I can go on and on and on about Iran's sponsorship of terrorism.

[SATW]

Heller is really fighting for that Sheldon Adelson cash - impressed!

He already had it. He beat Adelson's arch rival, Shelley Berkeley in 2012.