This piece in Slate may be of interest, OP:

http://www.slate.com/id/2304629/?from=rss

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What has Israel ever done for us? Isn't an alliance supposed to offer mutual benefit? I see no reciprocity whatsoever.

I am not pro-Isreal. However, they are our very solid foothold into the Middle East. The US cannot depend on any Muslim nation to be on our side, allow us to use airstrips, fly over their country, etc.

However, I think being pro-Isreal is what has put us in this position. We supported their formation out of guilt, and ignored the fact that people actually lived in the land they were taking.

I am all for a Palestinian State. I have no idea why Obama is doing this, because he certainly won't get the neo-Con or evangelical vote in 2012.

I disagree. Turkey has been a real, true ally. KSA, as much as I dislike them, is an ally. Egypt has been a staunch ally for decades, and so far SCAF (Egyptian military) is pro-American as well. We benefit from these alliances. I don't see how we benefit from an alliance with Israel.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What has Israel ever done for us? Isn't an alliance supposed to offer mutual benefit? I see no reciprocity whatsoever.

I am not pro-Isreal. However, they are our very solid foothold into the Middle East. The US cannot depend on any Muslim nation to be on our side, allow us to use airstrips, fly over their country, etc.

However, I think being pro-Isreal is what has put us in this position. We supported their formation out of guilt, and ignored the fact that people actually lived in the land they were taking.

I am all for a Palestinian State. I have no idea why Obama is doing this, because he certainly won't get the neo-Con or evangelical vote in 2012.

Maybe he's worried about alienating the jewish vote?

Anonymous wrote:What has Israel ever done for us? Isn't an alliance supposed to offer mutual benefit? I see no reciprocity whatsoever.

I am not pro-Isreal. However, they are our very solid foothold into the Middle East. The US cannot depend on any Muslim nation to be on our side, allow us to use airstrips, fly over their country, etc.

However, I think being pro-Isreal is what has put us in this position. We supported their formation out of guilt, and ignored the fact that people actually lived in the land they were taking.

I am all for a Palestinian State. I have no idea why Obama is doing this, because he certainly won't get the neo-Con or evangelical vote in 2012.

Yes, OP, Obama goes on about how important the peace process is and how that should come before statehood but what difference, in fact, would Palestinian statehood make? It would be a symbolic slap in the face against Israel but only symbolic.

And there was a recent leak of information about the "peace" process which showed that Abbas had practically given away the farm to the Israelis (so much that it was humiliating for the Palestinians) and the Israelis still refused to come to agreement. So what possible advantage is there for Abbas to go back to the alleged peace process and wait for the Israelis to say it's okay for Palestine to be a state.

Gee last I knew states can still be part of the peace process!

too much clowning around with religion.
If palestinians get statehood, the only thing that changes is that they have access to international criminal courts. That would make it more difficult for the Israelis to cut off water to Gaza and the West Bank etc
The triumph would just be symbolic, nothing much more than that would change.
There are a handful of landowners that might have a legal claim to get their land back. But that right they have even now, except that it is at the discretion of the Isreali courts to honor that right if they feel like it.
Netanyahu wants Obama to commit political suicide by vetoing it. He would benefit from it but nothing in it for Obama.
The UN created Isreal. Funny how that is forgotten. Strange that Isreal has not accepted that the Palestinias will not run into the desert that is nearby just to keep them happy

Anonymous wrote:Hat has Israel ever done for us? Isn't an alliance supposed to offer mutual benefit? I see no reciprocity whatsoever.

That should be " What has Israel ever done for us..."

Hat has Israel ever done for us? Isn't an alliance supposed to offer mutual benefit? I see no reciprocity whatsoever.

The US position is based solely on domestic political considerations. There are three groups in the US that strongly support Israel (with some overlap between them): Neo-Cons, Evangelical Christians, and Jews. The first two already support the Republicans and there has been a desire for the past few decades to get the third to move the right. Personally, I think that is a bit of a pipe dream and is unfair to the Jewish community, but leading Democrats prefer not to take chances. As a result, the Democrats line up behind the most right-wing elements in Israel (while progressive Israeli groups are ignored).

Very ignorant about the Arab Israeli conflict here.... But hearing on the news that Palestine is applying for statehood and the US will veto it. Why don't the Palestinan people get to decide they are a state if they want to? Why does the US get to decide?

I believe in Israel's right to exists and I understand our friendship with them is important to US interests. But I don't see how it's a good idea to anger Palestinans by always being on Israel's side. It like we're not even pretending to be fair.


Can someone enlighten me as to why our opposition to a Palestinan state is 1) morally OK 2) a good idea in the long run and 3) necessary?