Should the US drop Israel?

[TNF]

I think it's fairly clear at this point that backing the Zionists in '48 was a catastrophically stupid thing to do, given the mess that decision has made of our foreign policy interests and of the entire Middle East. Unfortunately we can't change the past, but we can prevent ourselves from continuing to make the same mistakes. I think it's high time we did. The United States should end it's relationship with Israel and go on the offensive against the Israeli state as it would any other regime in the region that violates human dignity and tramples human rights under foot. We need nothing short of a comprehensive divestment and sanctions program directed at the Israelis, as we had aimed against the original apartheid state in the 1980s.

What say you? Do you think the United States should maintain it's relationship with Israel, or alter it in some way? Do you think we should support Palestinian liberation?

[PiMp DaDdy FitzGerald]

And replace it with what? The truth is that in return for supporting them, we have a nearly completely faithful ally that can essentially be a bad cop anytime we want. Replacing Israel would essentially mean a complete middle eastern diplomatic revolution that is probably impossible right now.

[Never]

The United States should maintain or strengthen its relationship with the only free country in the Middle East instead of abandoning it.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

We should drop every nation that we support in the Middle East.

[AggregateDemand]

Drop them because they don't have oil? They are a pain in our backside, but we need them for intelligence-gathering and geopolitics. They are about the only people as dedicated to eradicating Islamic fundamentalism as we are.

[H. Ross Peron]

No, we shouldn't blindly support Israel but at the same time they are the freest and the least horrible state in the region.

[bedstuy]

I think it's fairly clear at this point that backing the Zionists in '48 was a catastrophically stupid thing to do, given the mess that decision has made of our foreign policy interests and of the entire Middle East. Unfortunately we can't change the past, but we can prevent ourselves from continuing to make the same mistakes. I think it's high time we did. The United States should end it's relationship with Israel and go on the offensive against the Israeli state as it would any other regime in the region that violates human dignity and tramples human rights under foot. We need nothing short of a comprehensive divestment and sanctions program directed at the Israelis, as we had aimed against the original apartheid state in the 1980s.

What say you? Do you think the United States should maintain it's relationship with Israel, or alter it in some way? Do you think we should support Palestinian liberation?

If you're going to frame this with that vitriolic nonsense, that frankly sounds like it was written by a Hezbollah splinter group, what's the point?  You hate Israel, but we can't really have a discussion unless we share some foundation of reality about the situation in the West Bank.

[Indy Texas]

No. I think they simply ought to be treated the same as any other country we have friendly relations with.

[IceSpear]

Absolutely not.

[RogueBeaver]

Absolutely not.

[Deus Naturae]

We should stop giving them US taxpayer money, yes. Israel has the resources to defend and provide for itself.

As for sanctions, under what conditions would the sanctions be lifted?

[SomeOne]

Drop the only democracy in the Middle East? Please.

[eric82oslo]

US should take a European stance on Israel, that is not supporting them unconditionally and treat Israel and Palestine equally, as two separate nation states (the US and Israel being as far as I know the two only remaining countries in the world still not supporting or aknowledging Palestine nationhood or sovereignty). Yet with the enormous power and influence of the religious right as well as the well-funded Jewish community in the US, that ain't gonna happen in the near future. Perhaps in some 10-15 years from now we might start to see a moderate change, if we're lucky. Or we might get a serious third party, like the Libertarians, entering the national stage in D.C., which quickly could shake things up considerably. Not saying that Libertarians would be inclined to support a 50/50 solution, but they would almost certainly be more realistic and less dogmatic in their approach than current day Republicans (and many, perhaps most, elected Democrats included).

[Mr. Morden]

US should take a European stance on Israel, that is not supporting them unconditionally and treat Israel and Palestine equally, as two separate nation states (the US and Israel being as far as I know the two only remaining countries in the world still not supporting or aknowledging Palestine nationhood or sovereignty).

Countries that have recognized the state of Palestine in green:

[eric82oslo]

US should take a European stance on Israel, that is not supporting them unconditionally and treat Israel and Palestine equally, as two separate nation states (the US and Israel being as far as I know the two only remaining countries in the world still not supporting or aknowledging Palestine nationhood or sovereignty).

Countries that have recognized the state of Palestine in green:

This map doesn't reflect the reality though, since after the muslim countries, Western European governments are in fact the staunchest supporters of the two state solution there is. In any case, within the UN system, the only regular supporter of the agenda of the Israeli government continues to be the US, and only the US. Not US and Canada or US and Australia. Only the US, period.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Not drop it, but seriously bully it into stopping colonization. Of course this can't be done either, considering the degeneracy of the US political discourse on this subject.

[RedSLC]

Not drop it, but seriously bully it into stopping colonization. Of course this can't be done either, considering the degeneracy of the US political discourse on this subject.

[Mordecai]

Not drop it, but seriously bully it into stopping colonization. Of course this can't be done either, considering the degeneracy of the US political discourse on this subject.

This. Israel is one of the only democracies in the Middle East, dropping it would be a f[Inks]ing stupid thing to do.

[BaconBacon96]

The United States should maintain or strengthen its relationship with the only free country in the Middle East instead of abandoning it.

That being said, I don't believe the US should support the continuous building of settlements and I think the US should recognize Palestine as a state.

[ingemann]

Not drop it, but seriously bully it into stopping colonization. Of course this can't be done either, considering the degeneracy of the US political discourse on this subject.

This. Israel is one of the only democracies in the Middle East, dropping it would be a f[Inks]ing stupid thing to do.

... and Apartheid South Africa was one of the only countries in Africa with regular election without electoral fraud. There was still some other (one major one specifict) elements in that state, which meant supporting it, at some point became unacceptable.

[Bull Moose Base]

US should take a European stance on Israel, that is not supporting them unconditionally and treat Israel and Palestine equally, as two separate nation states (the US and Israel being as far as I know the two only remaining countries in the world still not supporting or aknowledging Palestine nationhood or sovereignty).

Countries that have recognized the state of Palestine in green:

This map doesn't reflect the reality though, since after the muslim countries, Western European governments are in fact the staunchest supporters of the two state solution there is.

I think every American president since Carter has supported the two-state solution. Clinton made a pretty good effort at getting there in the end. Who knows? Maybe the next Clinton will pull it off.

[Redskins!]

Us and Israel have too much to defend in these times to drop one another. They're our strongest ally and as far as I'm concerned they're really the only other country that matters in this world.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I favor blanketing the entire Middle East with a fine powder of ground up psychedlic mushrooms, as a holy war will seem insane to even the biggest fundamentalist after tripping on that stuff.

Jokes aside, we have to remain involved in the Middle East, as the largest threat to our national security remains terrorist organizations that are based in and recruit from the Arab world.  Having Israel as an ally is a great strategic move.  That said, we have to make it clear that they need us as well, and that the secular republic of the United States won't stand by and continue to support either side in this ridiculous holy war between the Jews and Muslims anymore.  Stand down and work towards peace or the U.S. steps out and you morons can annhilate each other over this barren, useless piece of desert all you ******* want.  (Speaking of the spot of land where God is supposed to come back and set up His rumpus room or whatever)

[RosettaStoned]

 Israel should not even exist.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Us and Israel have too much to defend in these times to drop one another. They're our strongest ally and as far as I'm concerned they're really the only other country that matters in this world.

Name one thing that Israel has done for the United States.