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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24ryHuOLVmQ. From Haviv Rettig Gur. He is an Israeli journalist, but not a right-winger, and has been quite critical of the Israeli government and its actions in Gaza.

FWIW, I am very much NOT a Trump supporter and certainly do not believe his motives vis a vis Iran are pure. That said, I've never understood (and still don't) the position that everything America does in the Middle East is at Israel's behest or on Israel's behalf. Two seconds of scrutiny would reveal that to be ridiculous. The attack on Iran benefits Israel, yes - that is absolutely undeniable. But the US independently perceives it to be in the US's interests, for several reasons: (1) it threatens Chinese/Russian hegemonic ambitions, (2) it pushes Iran's Arab neighbors closer to the US, and (3) it weakens an American adversary and reduces the threat of a nuclear Iran. Whether the attack can/will actually achieve these aims (or whether these aims are worth achieving) is certainly up for debate. Personally, I'm skeptical, but also don't think the US is WORSE off for having eliminated Khamenei and damaged the power structure surrounding him. If the US gets bogged down in a ground war, that calculus changes obviously.

But seriously - why would America, the most powerful country in the world, act exclusively on behalf of Israel, a tiny, politically fractured nation of ten million people? Some nebulous "Israel lobby" that somehow pulls all the strings in US politics? That strikes me as conspiracy theory nonsense. Funds expended by AIPAC and other pro-Israel organizations are absolutely DWARFED by political spending by Arab nations. Take Qatar for instance. Since about 2017, Qatar has spent on the order of $225 – $256 million on registered lobbying, public relations, and related paid influence work. That's not including the billions (yes billions) of dollars it has given to U.S. universities and educational programs. And that's ONE country. The Middle East is full of oil-rich Arab/Muslim-majority countries who likewise spend billions on influencing U.S. politics.

If someone can explain this to me with actual sources (that aren't, like, Al Jazeera), I'd appreciate it because I am actually curious what animates this view other than bizarre monomania re: Israel. [/quote]

Why does our government uphold a totally broken healthcare system?  Money.  The answer is always money.  There is money behind the Israeli lobby.  That’s literally it.

The reason for this war is that something terrible is in the Epstein files.  That’s it.  It’s not geopolitically wise to go after Persia.

Persia predates Judaism.  It will outlast Judaism and Christianity.  It has never been colonized.  Oil prices will go through the roof.  This is stupid.

Maybe I am being quaint but it is actually totally illegal to attack other sovereign nations because you don’t like their leaders.

Also, we killed Khamenei and our prize is a younger Khamenei.

The Arab countries do not have real skin in the game vis a vis Israel.  They do not care what happens to the Palestinians.  Egypt is the only country that has ever taken action on behalf of Israel.[/quote]

Also, FYI. Persia does not predate Judaism (500 BCE vs. 2000 BCE). [/quote]

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