I disagree with adding the word "too" as part of the title, since no comparison can be made between the situation in Egypt and the democracy in Israel.
I don't believe the US "abandoned" Egypt, but is desperately trying to find a delicate balance in case Mubarack retains power (after all the billions of aid the US gave Egypt) or in case the Muslim Brotherhood takes over (Egypt's flavor of Hamas) with Mohamed ElBaradei as their puppet Prime Minister.
Yes, the US could theoretically "abandon" Israel for a number of reasons, and after all, we're constantly reminded that "nations don't have friends, they have interests."
YNET writes:
The United States sided with protesters over the weekend, threatening to stop aid to Egypt if President Hosni Mubarak does not promote reforms in the country. Washington also added that the Egyptian public's grievances require an immediate response from the governmentMyopic Presidents like Carter prove that anything is possible, and Carter to this day still tries to prop up the Mubarakesque President of the PA, Mahmoud Abbas.
"The possibility of being abandoned over interests is always possible," says Hebrew University Professor Michal Pomerantz, an expert on international law and US foreign policy.
According to Pomerantz, "The United States is not completely committed to a state, and what happened in Egypt as well as in Iran – with which it had such close relations at one point, that Carter was considering transferring it nuclear technology – proves that it is always possible, especially when there are changes in the administration, as has happened in the United States."
In a conversation with Ynet, Prof. Eytan Gilboa, an expert on US policy from Bar Ilan University, recommended to take precautionary measures and "think over" our relations with Washington, despite the support in congress and positive public opinion.Israel needs to be aware that despite favorable public opinion in the USA -- American Presidents and the State Department could abandon Israel while attempt to force Israel to make suicidal concessions. The USA is already courting Chin, so it shouldn't be considered a back stab for Israel to foster better relations with China and India.
According to Prof. Gilboa, Barack Obama stabbed Mubarak in the back and has already turned his back on Israel once, and therefore we must "take a good look into the future. We must develop our foreign relations with the rising powers – India, with whom we already have military cooperation, and China. However, we must also focus on improving our complex relations with Europe," he added.
I'm not writing off the USA, but putting all our eggs in one basket is never a good idea. In fact, the sooner Israel weans itself from US foreign aid, the better for all of us.
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Then US may think is hasn't abandoned Egypt, but if Mubarack gets out alive; he may well do more damage than wikileaks?
ReplyDeleteThe MB will overrun Egypt, Jordan and Yemen are next on the map. Tehran will be ecstatic that its plan worked and Obama will look like the fool everyone knows he is. American Foreign Policy will be dead for the next 50 years thanks to this buffoon.
The only "friend" Israel may have left in the region is the Saudis. They will want to hang on to Mecca at all costs regardless of the price.
On the upside, a muslim civil war between sunni & shiite might make them ignore the whole Israel problem?
Weaning Israel off US aid is not the same thing as putting your eggs in one basket. In other words, were Israel to drop US aid what would it be getting in return that would mean this sacrifice gets Israel a second basket. What is your proposed alternative? Moreover, if Israel relied exclusively on the US when it had a cold peace with Egypt and did not need to worry about a serious conventional land war then it will need even more support as it retools its forces to face a united Middle East. Military expenditures are now 9% of Israeli GNP but that will likely rise now. If Israel gained from the aid two weeks ago, then how much more will it gain from the aid now?
ReplyDeleteIsrael does not now have European support, China and India need Arab oil more then whatever tiny Israel has, Russia has neither the power or inclination to back Israel and the South American countries have made their position clear these last few weeks. The US is Israel's only friend and, perhaps you can tell me how Israel can get a new patron without significantly retooling its foreign policy to the left ... at least as much as whatever the US asks of it.
The US Abandon Israel? Boy! May it come soon!
ReplyDeleteI ache for the day when the US would refuse to give us Foreign Aid. I crave the day when the US would stop demanding stuff from Israel.
I would love to see the day when they would stop using us for intelligence, advanced field weapons storage.
I wait for the day when they stop selling the latest advanced weapons to us just so we can do their beta testing, and report back the bugs in the weapons that don't work so they can make more advanced weapons and sell them to us at an even greater price - this is what happened with the Patriot missile system during the Gulf War. We bought each missile for $1 million a shot and none of them worked. Now they have the new-improved model which they'll gladly sell us at maybe quadruple the previous price.
Since all Israeli governments have been and continue to be gutless-wonders who crave the approval of the US Admin and will do nearly anything to please - like dogs dying to please their master - this is the reason that we Israelis are put through pointless attempts at negotiations with Abbas/Fatah that is still committed to our destruction.
When will it dawn when we have no strong contacts with the US that we'll be uninhibited to develop, manufacture and market our own weapon's systems IN COMPETITION WITH THE US? Today the US prevents Israel from competing, in fact the US pressured Israel not to produce and market the Levi Fighter, offered to take our prototype off our hands (after all, what would Israel do with it?) and they used it to produce their latest fighter aircraft. And that our government gave them in the hopes to buy their "friendship".
All this we give them happily and the USG repeatedly tries to maneuver us down the path of destruction in this dangerous game of surrendering to the PA/PLO/Fatah.
Oh, please HaShem, allow the day when the US will cut ties from us and free us because it costs Israel more to have that "friend" than it would to go it alone! The truth is that Israeli government officials haven't the courage or brains to do it themselves.
Agreed.
ReplyDeleteI can't understand American Jews who lambast Rand Paul for proposing to end US aid to Israel.
The sooner it happens, the better off Israel will be.