Israel Invaded by Arab Countries

If Arab countries or Iran invaded Israel what would the United States government do? We would honor our long time commitment to aid Israel. That seems like a simple answer. The recent wild reception of the prime Minister of Israel by the U.S. Congress leads us to be assured that such support would be forthcoming.

However, after the disaster of a ten-year debacle in Iraq and Afghanistan would the America people really support sending our troops and spending billions of dollars to yet another war in the Middle East?

Pressure on the President and the Congress by wealthy Jewish supporters of Israel would be tremendous. Elected officials would fear that any opposition to sending U.S. soldiers back into the Middle East would cost their re-election. Politics and money would top reason and restraint in responding to such a threat to Israel. Leaving it to the United Nations would not be seen as real support.

Most Jews and I still sense a strong anti-Semitic streak running through Middle America.

In June 2002, a nationwide survey released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) resulted in the following.

The findings in brief … Strongly anti-Semitic:

17% of Americans

35% of Hispanics

35% of African-Americans

3% of U.S. college and university students

“The 2005 Survey of American Attitudes Towards Jews in America, a national poll of 1,600 American adults conducted in March 2005, found that 14% of Americans - or nearly 35 million adults - hold views about Jews that are "unquestionably anti-Semitic," compared to 17% in 2002, Previous ADL surveys over the last decade had indicated that anti-Semitism was in decline. In 1998, the number of Americans with hardcore anti-Semitic beliefs had dropped to 12% from 20 % in 1992.” (Wikipedia)

“For 2007, FBI figures show that among 1,477 religiously motivated hate crimes reported by U.S. law enforcement authorities, 9% were anti-Islamic, 9.5% were "anti-other religion," 4.4% were anti-Catholic and, by far outstripping any other category, "68.4% were anti-Jewish." (Forbes Magazine 1/22/09)

Some people decry a new anti-Semitism. They are liberals who are opposed to the Israeli government’s policies toward the Palestinians or who call for a boycott of Israeli products as a fight against these policies. This group would oppose another war.

As an anti-war activist I would oppose such a new war. But more importantly, I suspect a war to support Israel in the near future would not gain popular support.

But there is time to negotiate.

So far Israel’s leaders have refused to negotiate with the Palestinians until they repudiate Hamas, a group democratically elected to leadership by the people. In addition Israeli leaders have indicated they would not negotiate with any group who does not believe in the right of Israel to exist.

Negotiating about those two important should be exactly where the discussions must start. People of good will can sit down and deal with the hardest issues. They must not be pre-conditions to talking together. The refusal to do so smacks of not wanting to negotiate under any circumstances.

A willingness to negotiate and deal with the concrete issues is certainly needed to show the people of the Unites States and the rest of the world that Israel is serious about ending discrimination against the Palestinians and seeking peace.

Such action would put off any nation’s desire to invade Israel and assure protection if Israel was invaded.