23-03-2015, 05:50 PM
Welcome to the forum, Clark. My opinions about Israel have changed dramatically over the years. I used to be quite an admirer of the Israelis back in the 1980s and 1990s, but I read a lot of pro-Israel propaganda back then (and saw movies like Victory at Entebbe, Raid on Entebbe, Exodus, A Woman Called Golda). Then I began to read more critical works, the Palestinian point of view, learned about the USS Liberty attack. So now I am very opposed to the Israeli military-industrial complex, and the political/religious Zionists (both Jew and Gentile, here and abroad).
As far as the US government goes, there have always been people skeptical of tying US policy too closely toward Israel (much of the State Dept, Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy). They were more pro-Arab. Then it changed completely with LBJ. Since then, the Israelis have managed to terrify most members of Congress and the media into supporting anything Israel does. It's gone way too far.
I don't know what's really going on today (at a deep state level), but I think once again some elements of the US national security state are arguing that we are not getting any benefits from the relationship with Israel, and that the Neo-Cons are trying to pull us into more wars for Israeli security. Of course, at a deep state level, Israel has a covert relationship with Saudi Arabia and Egypt, so it's complicated.
As far as the US government goes, there have always been people skeptical of tying US policy too closely toward Israel (much of the State Dept, Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy). They were more pro-Arab. Then it changed completely with LBJ. Since then, the Israelis have managed to terrify most members of Congress and the media into supporting anything Israel does. It's gone way too far.
I don't know what's really going on today (at a deep state level), but I think once again some elements of the US national security state are arguing that we are not getting any benefits from the relationship with Israel, and that the Neo-Cons are trying to pull us into more wars for Israeli security. Of course, at a deep state level, Israel has a covert relationship with Saudi Arabia and Egypt, so it's complicated.