Just Curious - I Heard Some Radio/TV Pundit Say Israel Is U.S. Best Ally..

[global1]

what does Israel do for the U.S.? I know the U.S. gives Israel a great deal of money - what does Israel do in return? I don't think Israel sent troops to Iraq. They weren't part of the 'coalition of the willing' like Poland. What does Israel do to give them the distinction of being the U.S.'s greatest ally?

[sabbat hunter]

1. israel

was willing to send troops to iraq for both wars but they were turned down. during the first gulf war when sadaam was launching scuds at israel, israel did not retaliate because if they did the US feared that they would lose arab support.


israel will almost 100% of the time back up the US with words if not deeds.

[liberal N proud]

3. You can turn that around as well.

the US government will 100% of the time back up Israel

[atreides1]

7. Still you don't answer the question

What has Israel done for the US, what has Israel done for this American taxpayer?


"was willing to send troops to iraq for both wars but they were turned down."

And you really believe that the Saudis would have allowed Israeli troops into their country? It was an empty gesture, and hardly makes up for the last 6 decades of financial and military support that the US has given Israel.

Do you think that Israel would back the US, if the US decided that the Israelis would have to abide by UN resolutions. As long as the US keeps covering Israel, the Israeli government will back the US,
if that should ever stop you can bet that Israel won't be that friendly.

[fasttense]

2. We pick the one Middle Eastern country with no oil . n/t

[adriennui]

5. we pick the one mid-east country

that isn't living in the 13th century.
israel's assets is her people.

[Fredda Weinberg]

4. Consistent votes in the UN eom

[iamahaingttta]

6. What Israel does for the US is...

...it provides a focal point for Arab rage. That way, the Arabs have something in the region to hate, therefore not focusing their attentions on the fact that the West dismantled the Ottoman Empire after WWI and prevents a Pan-Arab empire from emerging. It began with the Sykes-Picot Agreement in 1916, Saddam, Qaddafi and bin-Laden have all talked about this. Makes it easier for the West to deal with lots of little countries in order to get the oil out of the ground, rather than dealing with one big empire with its own global agenda. Read TE Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" to see how it all began. (he was Lawrence of Arabia. The seven pillars refer to Jerusalem, Damascus, Baghdad, Amman, Beirut, Medina and Mecca.)

[sabbat hunter]

9. i think that

most arabs hailed the fall of the ottoman empire since they were the ones responsible for the fall of the Abbasid caliphate. (along with the seljuk turks).


there have been movements for pan-arabism but they have fallen apart because of infighting in who should be the leader. the closest they got was the UAR, which was a "unification" of syria and egypt. but neither country could decide which was the leader so it fell apart.

[TomClash]

8. This is all bull

Israel provides more intel than most countries - though not always when the US needs it most. Israel will almost always provide political support when the US needs it, which is not very often. That's about the extent of what Israel does in return. I should add that some of the intel assistance is quite significant, though its intel is NOT the best (for US purposes - it is excellent for Israeli purposes) in the region.

If asked by the US, Israel would almost certainly have sent at least a brigade to Iraq.

[LA lady]

11. Wake up

Oh yeah, Jonathan Pollard was a real asset.....

[TomClash]

12. Go back to sleep

The poster asked what Israel did for the US. There is no question that Israel sometimes provides useful intel to the US.

Pollard was and is a traitor to the Republic, but that does not make my statement false. Everybody spies on everybody but even today most of it is commercial espionage.

[gratuitous]

10. Well . . . uhm, hmmm. They spy on us

And that's not something you'd expect from a country financially propped up by the United States. But they're such lovable scamps, we almost always just smile and shrug.

[fat dad]

13. They keep our defense industry

booming. The only theing we do well anymore.

[rucky]

14. It's all strategic.

we can point missiles at their oil-bearing neighbors.