I didn’t see a thread on this and am wondering why.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124485054
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1158143.html
How about we just cut the billions we give to Israel every year? Would they consider that “fair” for their decision to set back the efforts invested by the US?
I think so.
Cutting foreign aid would really set an example for other countries. It’s one thing to beat your chest and shout, “We won’t negotiate with terrorists!” and another to say, “Look how serious we are that we would even put a long-time ally in its place for derailing our efforts in foreign policy.”
If Israel was any other country, we would have cut monetary and military aid a long time ago. It simply makes no sense to keep an ‘ally’ that spies on you, steals classified documents, attacks your navy personnel with no clear authority, and above all, severely damages your international image. My guess is that staunchly pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC and ADL are to blame for this issue for the most part, along with their neocon friends in congress and right wing think tanks such as WINEP and AEI. These groups are extremely influential in Washington, and thanks to them, it is impossible for any one in the administration to come even close to pursuing an even-handed and rational approach to the middle east conflict.
If you have some extra time, I suggest you give http://www.amazon.com/Israel-Lobby-U-S-Foreign-Policy/dp/0374177724 a read; the title is pretty boring but the ideas in the book are quite the opposite.