Could Rand Paul and Ron Paul be Zionists?

The View From Masada Blog ^ | February 17, 2011 | Matityahu Ben-Yosef

[Christian_Capitalist]

Could Rand Paul and Ron Paul be Zionists?
http://viewfrommasada.com/2011/02/17/ron-paul-rand-paul-zionists-of-the-year/
Posted on February 17, 2011 by Matityahu Ben-Yosef

While the Middle East has always been a volatile region, the last month has seen events unfold in the region whose global impact we still may not appreciate. From the fall of governments in Lebanon, Tunisia, and Egypt, and with other Middle East regimes to soon share their fate, the balance of power in the Middle East is changing before our eyes.

However, the most significant revolution taking place in the Middle East right now may not have anything to do with what’s unfolded in those countries mentioned above. In fact, the greatest potential revolution about to unfold in the Middle East has its home in Washington D.C., courtesy of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).

Seriously.

Earlier this month, Rand Paul called for an end to US “welfare” to Israel, saying:

I’m not singling out Israel. I support Israel. I want to be known as a friend of Israel, but not with money you don’t have. We can’t just borrow from our kids’ future and give it to countries, even if they are our friends.

I think they’re an important ally, but I also think that their per capita income is greater than probably three-fourths of the rest of the world. Should we be giving free money or welfare to a wealthy nation? I don’t think so.

There are many problems with Israel accepting foreign aid from the United States, most notably among that them being that a country can not be both independent and dependent at the same time. By accepting foreign aid from United States, or any country for that matter, Israel is giving up her freedom to implement policies without foreign interference. Additionally, as we have mentioned before, not only does accepting foreign aid limit Israel’s independence, but it also is simply not economically smart, as a recent study by the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies has shown that every dollar of US Aid costs Israel up to 1.4 dollars.

Rand Paul highlights two other problems with continued US foreign aid. to Israel. First, it is legitimate to ask whether or not the US can still afford the luxury of bestowing foreign aid – not just to Israel – but in general. While there are certainly benefits to the United States ‘giving of foreign aid, today it may be a luxury that the American people simply can no longer afford.

Second, historically one of the problems with welfare,is that often times those receiving it have no real incentive to ever get off of it.

Zionism, being the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, believes in a strong and free sovereign Jewish state; a state that lives within her means and earns whatever she has, through the industriousness and ingenuity of her citizens.

An article in Middle East Quarterly, entitled “End American Aid to Israel?: Yes, It Does Harm,” stated the following:

Arnon Gafny, who served as governor of the Bank of Israel in 1976-1981, points out that foreign aid has caused Israel to suffer from what economists call the “Dutch Disease,” a generous but temporary gift (such as oil or external aid) that brings short-term benefits but impairs a country’s long-term competitiveness.

It is very difficult to prove that a rich country’s bestowing bilateral aid on a poorer one actually helps the poorer economy.

In an paper published by the Hoover Institute of Standford University, entitled “Why Aid to Israel Hurts . . . Israelis,” Alvin Rubashka stated the following:

Free money is the scourge of Israel’s economy. It is the difference between a free, prosperous Israel and a statist, dependent Israel. Before U.S. aid began flowing, Israel’s economic performance rivaled that of the high-growth Asian Tigers. Since then, Israel’s growth rate has fallen by more than half.

Forcing Israel to provide for herself will not hurt Israel’s economy, but actually strengthen it, serving as an impetus for Israel to challenge herself to develop her economy and industry in new ways, because there would no longer be free handouts from Uncle Sam.

Rep. Ron Paul went one step further than his son, calling on the United States to end all foreign aid to the Middle East. This past week, Paul sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to all members of the House of Representatives entitled, “Stop buying friends overseas, save $6 billion!”

Borrowing money from China — or printing it out of thin air — to hand out overseas in [an] attempt to purchase friends has been a failing foreign policy, as we see most recently in Egypt where there is not even a government in place! We should seek friendly relations and trade overseas, but we cannot justify lavish gifts to foreign leaders when American taxpayers are increasingly feeling the pain of our economic crisis.

Again, the motivation for this amendment has little to do with Israel, and much to do with the current state of the United States economy, but should such an amendment be accepted, it would greatly benefit Israel.

While the United States spares no opportunity to speak of its desire to see peace in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and her neighbors, it has consistently – for her own interests – armed both sides of the conflict. While Israel may be the US’s single largest recipient of military aid in the region, the amount of US military aid going to Israel’s neighbors makes the amount Israel receives pale in comparison. (This is in addition to the US training a Palestinian army under the leadership of US General Keith Dayton).

Lastly, and perhaps cynically, one must ask the question of what exactly does Israel receive in return for being a US ally? Being a US ally didn’t help those in power in Tunisia, Lebanon and Egypt, who were all quickly abandoned by the US when the going got tough. And, the US is strongly considering voting in favor of a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel for allowing Jewish growth within her historic homeland.

With friends like these...

It’s time for Israel to act according to the wisdom of former French Premier, Charles DeGaulle, who said that, “Countries do not have friends, they have interests.”

Every country in the world understands this, and acts according to this principle. It’s time Israel does the same.

Israel’s leading business publication, Globes, has called for Israel to do the same:

The time has come to bid goodbye to the military aid that the US extends to Israel, that generous package (currently worth $3 billion) that enables the Israeli taxpayer to share the cost of procuring equipment for the IDF with the US taxpayer. Israel should itself initiate the process of detachment from the Washington breast. It should be done gradually, on terms that will enable Israel to wean itself off this intoxicating milk, before the Americans take action, on their terms. Israel won’t collapse.

None of this is to say that the United States and Israel shouldn’t be allies. To the contrary, Israel should seek to have positive relationships with every country in the world – relationships based upon mutual respect, benefit and interest. in instances where Israel and another country may not see eye to eye, each will be free to act according to their own interests.

Ron Paul and Rand Paul, through looking out for the best interests of the United States, may be providing one of the greatest contributions to Zionism in quite some time.

~~ Matityahu Ben Yosef is the Education Director of the Zionist Freedom Alliance

[SunkenCiv]

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"No. Next!"

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[rmlew]

I agree that all foreign aid should end. In so far as ROnPaul does not want Israel destroyed, I suppose he is a Zionist. However, Ron Paul is no friend of Israel. He reflexively supports Israel’s enemies every time Israel launches a major operation.

[TheOldLady]

The guy talked like a disruptor troll. I’m surprised he made it as far as he did.

[OldNewYork]

“I agree that all foreign aid should end. In so far as ROnPaul does not want Israel destroyed, I suppose he is a Zionist. However, Ron Paul is no friend of Israel. He reflexively supports Israel’s enemies every time Israel launches a major operation.”

I don’t know Ron Paul’s record on this well - the original poster seemed to have lots of information on this in support of him, and others on here have strong opinions against him, but I haven’t seen much of their information. The OP was banned - I think from re-posting threads that were taken down for lack of a link to an acceptable site, and according to most people here on this thread, for having a history of doing things like that.

I can’t speak for the motives of the original poster, but I would guess that by calling them Zionists he meant to strongly counter that they were anti-Israel or anti-Jewish, which I’ve often seen alleged here (entirely of Ron Paul until the other day, please see below), rather than that they were actual Zionists. That’s how I saw it, anyway. I wouldn’t have agreed that their stances made them Zionist, just that they both are non-interventionist in general, in keeping with things like George Washington’s address to the nation at the end of his two terms as president, not specific to Israel, and not with hostility toward Israel.

Others here would have better information on Ron Paul’s statements on Israel than I would, and I’m not familiar with Rand Paul’s beyond the general non-interventionist policy I’ve mentioned, though the other day here someone criticized him for not attending Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, which I haven’t seen much more on.

[LIBERTARIAN JOE]

Yeah, but my position is simply that neither Congress nor the executive branch should earmark...

Paul makes a good argument that all federal spending should be earmarked - i.e. all funds allocated should be for a specific, defined purpose.

Regardless, I'm sure you, me and him all agree that fed spending is grossly out of control and needs to be drastically reduced.

[LIBERTARIAN JOE]

Your paultard buddy got the zot.......

Congratulations! When I'm losing a debate I, like you, always attempt to silence the voice that's besting me.

Get enough of us (the rational, the civil, the intelligent, etc.) banned and you brain-dead, big-gov't RINO morons will have this site all to yourselves.

Won't that be fun!

[LIBERTARIAN JOE]

I put real pix of the 2 Rons up for a number of reasons, usually when I see fake pix.

My post was really sarcasm directed at those who try to smear Dr. Paul by saying he's anti-semitic. I enjoy seeing those pics when you post them. Must really piss off the anti-Paul crowd - keep posting!

It's no wonder Paul and Reagan were close at one time - Reagan campaigned on a very good platform of smaller, less intrusive gov't. That's why I was so disappointed in him, and became so disillusioned with the political process... he showed that a politician doesn't even have to be lying when he campaigns one way and governs in a completely opposite manner.

I think Reagan truly believed in his small-gov't message but just took the easy route. He decided that it was easier to give in to the left on one issue to get his way on another. As a result, he just slowed the downhill course the nation had been on for decades, when he should have been attempting to reverse it.

[Las Vegas Ron]

Pffft, please tell me you're not that naive.

Your buddy got himself zotted, I had nothing to do with it.

Did you see all of the comments that were removed by the mods?

He was a twisted moron, he silenced himself.

[OldNewYork]

Did you see all of the comments that were removed by the mods? He was a twisted moron, he silenced himself.

More than one of those comments removed was yours, if not all.

[Las Vegas Ron]

More than one of those comments removed was yours, if not all.

Ah, no....the only comment of mine that removed was because I used the BS phrase (not abbreviated in case you live in Rio Linda)...try again.

[Las Vegas Ron]

So who got the zot?

Not me.

[OldNewYork]

You had the appearance of being disingenuous, as if those missing posts were to be imagined by people who didn’t get to read them as vulgar, inflammatory things the original poster said, rather than things you said. And it seemed to me that some of your consistently bringing it to the low level you did was a major contributing part to this.

But sure, keep it up. At this rate you’ll soon enough owe the majority of posters on this thread apologies.

[OldNewYork]

“Ah, no....the only comment of mine that removed was because I used the BS phrase (not abbreviated in case you live in Rio Linda)...try again.”

Not true. Posts of yours, plural, were removed. So, in a phrase you like: try again.

[Las Vegas Ron]

Not true. Posts of yours, plural, were removed. So, in a phrase you like: try again.

You really are an idiot, oops I mean paultard, aren't you?

[Las Vegas Ron]

YOU, are a liar.

[OldNewYork]

I’ll combine your two posts:

“YOU, are a liar.

You really are an idiot, oops I mean paultard, aren’t you?”

These have been your consistent responses - nothing of substance, and never having learned the lesson, even at your age, that throwing mud at people dirties you too.

I know, because at least two of the posts deleted were from you to me, and further down the continuum of baseless insults you’ve been trading in. And two is more than one. Maybe there were more? So either you’re lying above, in which case there’s not much point trusting anything you say, including trusting a liar’s accusation of someone else lying; or you’ve simply forgotten, but are so close to drowning in your own vitriol, that not even remembering will bring an apology out of you once you do. Which is it?

[Las Vegas Ron]

Which is it?

I'll take you're a pultard for $1,000.00, Alex.

RP is a retard, he is not welcome here nor are his lunatic supporters.......keep it up, you won't be here long either.

[OldNewYork]

How often do you find that your behavior is someone else’s fault?

Sounds like you’re down $1000 as well as not addressing whether you’ve lied or just forgotten. You might very well be gone sooner than anyone on this thread.

I’ve already addressed what connection I have to Ron Paul above, as anyone can see.