Why America Supports Israel

It certainly defies logic. George W. Bush supports Israel, yet his presidential opponent received 85% of the Jewish vote. While Bush was governor, Jews in Texas were even less supportive. Dick Cheney, a staunch hawk for Israel during his entire career, comes from the state of Wyoming, where Jews are as scarce as gold nuggets. Somehow, all 16 Jews in the state managed to form a powerful voting block that forced Cheney to become an Israeli pawn. And word is that Donald Rumsfeld had a secret Bar Mitzvah when he was 13 and occasionally is seen putting on tfillin in the bowels of the Pentagon.

Anyone who claims that the Jewish lobby controls American politics is more than just a fool; they are pure evil. It is the ultimate lie, akin to denying the Holocaust and Black Slavery.

Israel has no oil and the Arab nations have virtually all of it. Yet oil is blamed for support of Israel. The "Cold War" has ended and Israel is irrelevant to the geopolitics of the old USSR/Middle East relationship. Therefore, Israel is no longer a "necessary" Western outpost for the American military, which it had never been anyway. In fact, the American military is stationed exclusively in Arab countries throughout the Middle East, and yet America still favors Israel.

The reason for America´s support is clear. Israel is a democracy and happens to be the closest nation in the world to America in terms of values, capitalism, entrepreneurship, love of "moderate" religion, freedoms, an open/transparent press and a passion for enjoying life within guidelines. In fact, the ultimate proof that Americans love Israel for ideological reasons is that percentage-wise, more Christians are vehemently pro-Israel than Jews!

In the corrupt Arab/Muslim world, it seems inconceivable that a country would support another nation because of common values and ideals. To the rest of the Middle East, supporting Israel for moral reasons and not for financial gain, military expansion or other benefits, seems quite impossible. Therefore, since it cannot be morality driven, championing a Jewish state must be explained as much more insidious, like a Zionist plot or hidden conspiracy.

The double standard with regard to Israel runs quite deeply. Indeed, no rational rules apply. Throughout history, after a victory in war, the victor determines the terms of peace. However, when Israel is victorious in three consecutive wars, it must beg for peace and recognition of existence. For Israel, winning the battle only means the right to return everything and be nice to the enemy. In fact, the Jews seem to have become the new Christians of the world.

Israel humiliated all of the Arab countries in 1948, 1967 and 1973 by crushing them resoundingly in war. In addition, during that same period, Israel totally embarrassed the entire Arab/Muslim world by defeating them economically, technologically, intellectually, culturally, religiously, medically, socially and morally. Since America´s accomplishments are that much greater, it is no wonder that the Arab/Muslim nations feel totally frustrated. They subscribe to a religious belief that promises world greatness, strength and domination, while reality shows them trailing very far behind. Imagine a lifetime of prayer, practice and deep belief, now having to confront the reality of membership in a totally fraudulent guarantee. The only salvation left for fundamentalist Islam is to destroy the competition.

So, September 11th should not have come as a great surprise, except for the precise date. Once terrorism took hold in Israel, it was obviously destined to move on to its big brother across the Atlantic, who so closely resembles it. Because, as it goes with Israel, so it goes with America.

Irwin N. Graulich is President of Bloch Graulich Whelan, Inc. in New York.