Iran tests new precision-guided ballistic missile

[Green Line]

Iran isn't going to attack Israel, they have too much to lose.  They probably wouldn't feel the need to test all these weapons if Israel wasn't constantly threatening to bomb them.  The dumbest thing Israel could do right now is preemptively strike Iran, and turn even more of the world against them.

[Green Line]

If Israel is supposedly under so much threat then there should be European troops defending them, with European tax dollars going to fund Israel's military.  I'm tired of Europeans complaining that the US is not doing enough.  Why don't you talk to your own governments?

[Green Line]

The US turned its back on the Jews and literally sent them back to die in the ovens because FDR thought it would be bad PR to let them in.

To say the ledger is balanced now would be generous.

Then move to Isreal and open your veins and water their arid soil with your blood.  Why involve the rest of us?  Do you want me to give you a catalog of the people who died in the 20th century that the US didn't send their sons to liberate?

You go by the name "Rubio Republican".  Why don't you tell us about all the oppresed black and mixed race people in Cuba?  Why don't you tell us about all the slaves that were taken to Cuba.  Why don't you tell us why the vast majority of Cuban "refugees" are white middle or upper class people yet most of Cuba is black or mixed race?  How come you don't post about that BS?

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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/30/opinion/why-are-cubans-so-special.html?_r=0

Total BS.  So you not only ignore the injustices of the white upper class in Cuba you actually fight for their "rights."  And then you have the nerve to chastise people on the internet for not emptying their wallets for Israel half way around the world.  Talk about hypocrisy.

I'm not really sure what you expect the son of Cuban immigrants who had very little to do with the overall power structure of Cuba (they were rural landowners and economic migrants to the US) to do about the systemic problems in a country he wasn't born in.

And the fact that most of the Cuban refugees were white doesn't really seem to matter to me. If that's the case and Castro was targeting them, they had plenty of reason to flee.

Here's the thing - Israel isn't asking for money. Not as their primary need, anyway. They have a robust economy. They're not even asking for the US to defend them militarily. All they're doing is asking for the US to get out of the way and let them take care of their country.

The US, at least under this administration, has made clear the answer is "no".

How has the US gotten in Israel's way.  Does the US not, as a sovereign nation, have the right to negotiate deals with other countries?  Especially ones that pose a strategic threat to us?  It seems to me that Israel is getting in our way actually, and derailing any hope of a peaceful and friendly Iran.

[Green Line]

There have been many reports that the US told Israel it would shoot down the planes if Israel launched a military strike against Iran.

Post a link please.

They've denied it, but we do know that Netanyahu abruptly scrubbed a planned military operation at the last minute, so I find it believable.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/1/report-obama-threatened-shoot-down-israeli-warplan/?page=all

If that was true why would Netanyahu or one of his allies not come out with it?  We already know he has no problem poking the administration and the Republicans would jump all over this if he did

[Green Line]

Not that I want to wade into this quagmire, but since Ray has been dropping his inane conspiracy theories again:
http://forward.com/opinion/321927/an-alternative-vision-of-israeli-security/?attribution=author-article-listing-3-img

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Thank you.

We should set a few other things straight.

1.  There is no one on this forum that hates Jews or wants to see any harm come to any Jew anywhere on the planet simply because they are a Jew.  Making this hysterical claim only serves to alienate people.

2.  There is no one on this forum that wants to see the state of Israel attacked and/or destroyed.  Making this hysterical claim only serves to alienate people.

3.  President Obama is not "antiIsrael".  Making this hysterical claim only serves to alienate people.

4.  Israel over the decades has received a ludicrous amount of cash and moral support from the US taxpayer way out of proportion to anything any other country on the planet has received and certainly way out of proportion to anything Israel has ever done for the United States.  And certainly way out of proportion to what Israel "deserves" or is "owed."

5.  Follow up to point 4.  The United States along with help from European forces stopped the Holocaust.  There are plenty of other massacres that occurred on this planet where the United States didn't even send a get well soon card.

6.  There are millions of people on this planet who went through some really bad stuff during the twentieth century that have never received $2.9 billion a year from the US Tax payer and if they had would be very grateful to President Obama and not insult him in his own home.  Frankly even without the $2.9 billion they are respectful to the guy no matter where they encounter him.

And in conclusion I just want to address the bizarre statement in another thread that the United States is somehow beholden to Israel because of the 1953 Iranian coup and because the United States "allowed" the Shah to be toppled.  The Shah was an oppressive dictator.  We are in no way obligated to get in bed and stay in bed with brutal dictators just to make Israel happy.  The Iranian people have a right to self determination.  If they picked Khomeini and didn't realize how bad he was that's not the United States' fault.  Self determination means being free to make your own mistakes.  I love how certain Jews on this forum argue Jews need a homeland so they can have self determination but criticize everyone else who wants to give Iranians the same thing... Well not even the same thing.  We allow Israel to possess nuclear weapons and deny the same to Iranians.  There are a little over 6 million Jews in Israel...  There are 80 million Iranians.  Who's self determination should we cater to if we are forced to pick?  I don't want anyone attacking anyone else in the middle east.  But we need to stop talking like 6 million Jews are more important than 80 million Iranians.

And I leave you all with this...

Early in the twentieth century the King of Belgium ruled over Congo and killed HALF the population.  Millions more Congolese died under the rule of Leopold II of Belgium than Jews died in the Holocaust.  The Congolese holocaust is never even mentioned in textbooks and yet we send $2.9 billion a year to Israel.  Are people beginning to see why American tax payers are getting a little fed up with the state of affairs?

And by the way the millions of Congolese that died don't include all the ones that had their hands chopped off...

Stop it, youre making too much sense for this thread.

[Green Line]

Nothing Schadenfreude has posted is anti-semetic. Questioning the unflinching and uneven US support for Israel is not anti-jewish. As someone who supports Israel and thinks it is a great country you guys are doing a terrible pr job for it. Calling people anti-semetic is pathetic and only stifles legitimate debate

[Green Line]

I mean, I'm not a Stalinist hack like TNF, but the US didn't end the Holocaust even accidentally. All the major death camps were liberated by the Soviets.

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3067988/Let-s-Nazi-dogs-Enraged-horrors-Dachau-concentration-camp-arriving-liberate-WWII-prisoners-American-soldiers-executed-50-Germans-cold-blood-reveals-new-book.html

If those guys who committed a war crime out of sheer rage because of what they found at Dachau could read what is being said... I don't even know.  This Israel thing ceased making sense decades ago.

And regardless of how you want to spin and forget the tremendous sacrifices of our boys the fact remains even in your fanciful retelling of history they still did more than the US did for Congo.  Given how much we give Congo after the slaughter of 10 million Congolese and the $3 billion a year we give Israel... I am astonished anyone would have the guts to say Israel is "owed."  That's gratitude for you.  Time for the US taxpayer to get out of this game.

I never said Israel is "owed" anything, you're making stuff up now.
And that's one concentration camp, against how many that were liberated by the Soviets? A dozen? Furthermore, if America really gave a finks about rescuing Jews, they would not have shut them out. As it is, sure, America closed down a few concentration camps. But acting like Jews should be "grateful" because some angry soldiers executed a few dozen sadists is pathetic in so many ways.

Also the obligatory LOLDailyMail.

Its mostly the fault of geography that the Soviets liberated most of the camps.  They were mainly east of Berlin and in the way of the advancing Soviet army.  Im not really sure what America was supposed to do to get to them any earlier, they were deep behind German lines. Thats not to say that what America did was ok, more certainly could have been done for the Jews, but thats war.  Not every decision made is going to be perfect in the fog of war

[Green Line]

Ok.  To be fair, it was argued on the first page that the US somehow created the mess in Israel by not stopping the Holocaust, and is therefore responsible for Israel now.  Thats also a stretch IMO, and how this whole debate started.  Anyways I don't think anyone here is going to change their minds so lets all leave in peace!