WILL ISRAEL THREATEN AMERICA ONE DAY?

This question has been increasingly nagging at me for a long time, ever since the year 2000 when I took a serious interest in both the four-decade long plight of the occupied Palestinians and the farcical Bush election.

I’ve watched the almost daily atrocities being carried out in Gaza and the West Bank by the IDF and the brazen, ‘get-stuffed’ attitude of Israel to any and all criticism with complete horror and disbelief. Simultaneously, I’ve watched the increasing floundering and foolishness of ‘The Commander’ and his war-mongering Neocon Administration as they became bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At various times, I’ve wondered about the implications of the close, incestuous yet sometimes strained Judeo-Christian connection between the America and Israel. Finally my wonderings have crystallised into serious misgivings.

Please consider the following: both countries are entirely motivated by self-interest and will use any means to achieve their aims. Both countries have lots of nuclear weapons and sophisticated delivery systems. Both countries are aggressively militaristic and, at the drop of a hat, will seek to solve or get rid of problems using brute force. Both countries are imperialistic and think nothing of invading and occupying other people’s lands and killing, imprisoning or torturing their citizens. Both countries have a strong, underlying religious framework one that, on the surface, may appear to be convivial, but one that has serious theological differences. Both countries have their fair share of religious fundamentalists and fanatics. Both countries, for different reasons, believe that they should occupy a special place in the world.

Consider also that America has armed Israel and made it its Middle East proxy and an important part of its spreading global empire. America sees Israel as a regional power, but one that will do its bidding. However Israel sees itself as a power unto itself, as a nation that has divine rights. Many Jewish people strongly believe that ‘God’ has chosen Jews to be ‘His People’ (shame about the rest of us) and that Palestine is rightfully theirs (shame about the Palestinians too).

Consider also that Israel has many people of Jewish persuasion occupying important and influential positions throughout the American Government. Consider as well the amount of wealth that Jewish folk command (money is power) and the amount of control they have of the media both in America and in the world generally. There, the scene is set! Now to my misgivings.

What is going to happen when America finally realises that its support of Israel is costing it dearly in terms of world opinion and prestige and, importantly, regional opinion and support (remember the oil is in Arab countries NOT Israel)? It’s entirely possible that, as it’s done many times to many countries, America could begin to moderate its hitherto one-eyed support for Israel, believing that the grass is greener elsewhere. Should America then join other nations of the world and start to insist that the concrete walls must come down, that the checkpoints be abolished, that Israel must return to the pre-1967 borders, that reparation must be paid to the Palestinians, that the right of return be accepted, that a separate, sovereign State of Palestine must be formed, etc, what will Israel do?

Of course, initially, Israel will ignore America as it has done in the past. I remember clearly Bush issuing edicts about the IDF withdrawing from Palestinian areas (Jenin) which came to nothing! The Commander turned the other cheek, abandoned the scene and told Sharon that he was a peacemaker (one of the most ridiculous things he’s ever said and that’s really saying something).

What if America then starts to heavy its proxy? Israel will firstly try to use its wealth and its political influence within America and elsewhere to stifle opposition to its blatant imperialism. It will also use the media to try to divert pressure or change public opinion. But what if that doesn’t work and America, pursuing its own hegemonic interests, doesn’t relent and threatens to withdraw funding from Israel plus military support? What if it then begins to do so? America’s ugly child will then have two choices: Do as it’s told or fulfil ‘God’s’ plan.

I can see the situation arising in the future whereby Israel, should someone like Netanyahu be in charge, seeing its ‘dream’ being threatened, will, perhaps as a last resort, threaten to nuke America (remember that Israel was strongly rumoured to be ready to use atomic weapons in 1967 if the Six-day War had gone badly!).

Well, that is the scenario I fear. What the outcome would be is anyone’s guess but, if I had to bet, I’d say that, humans being what they are, fanaticism may well triumph over commonsense.

P.S. Of course, if America or Israel nuke Iran first my worrying scenario will be swept away by a more immediate nuclear catastrophe!