Replies

Israel would never willingly throw away the alliance with the United States. However, if the U.S. (by this I mean the Bush administration) were to stab Israel in the back and end the alliance Israel would have little choice but to find other allies for its own survival.

Israelis, by and large, have very strong ties to America and a very strong emotional connection to the U.S. In many ways Israeli culture now imitates American culture strongly. We have no cultural ties to China. Again, such an alliance would be forced on us, never chosen.

As far as spies are concerned, I think you will find that most of your allies spy on you and vice versa.

The West saw what happened in Beirut, they saw or could have seen the Fatah land in Southern Lebanon from 1970 to 1982. Did that change their position vis-à-vis Israel? No, at least not for the better. The violence, kidnappings and murders in the PA territory has also been on display. Why would the West's reaction to Ghaza be any different?

Any Israeli incusion in Ghaza as a reponse to a mjaor terror attack or rocket barrage from the jihadis will be met by severe criticism from the Euroweenies, State Departement etc.

"We have no cultural ties to China. Again, such an alliance would be forced on us, never chosen"

Such an 'alliance' with the PRC is pure fantasy, inherently impossible (considering the nature of the PRC's government), whatever the sometimes desperate motivations for Israelis to talk about it. The Butchers of Beijing want Israeli technology, especially military, so they will say pleasant words and hold out hopes of much closer relations -- but they will never give up their growing relationships in the Arab-Muslim world and their rapidly growing energy needs over Israel. The PRC may say lots of nice words to make Israelis think there is potential for some better relationship, but never mistake the fact that they will merely be 'using' Israel so long as it is convenient. Whatever else one may say about the US vis-a-vis Israel, we have borne many risks and financial burdens because enough Americans believe in Israel's people and promise as the only bastion of freedom in that part of the world. The US could have gone the route of most EU nations and cozied up far more to the Islamo-fascists; I think we have been far too sympathetic to the Pali-terrorists as it is (mainly due to our oil dependency), and I would have the US support Israel much more firmly than it does, but don't imagine that there's any potential at all for the PRC to replace the US in any significant way --it will never remotely approach what has existed between the US and Israel.

"I think you will find that most of your allies spy on you and vice versa"

Maybe true. But that doesn't mean we have to either like or accept it. We expect this kind of crap from the French, but Israel?

I understand that Israelis have a deep-seated belief that in the end, they can only count on themselves when the chips are down. I think they underestimate the amount of good will in the US for the survival of the State of Israel. Its one of the few things that can unite (most of the) Right and (most of the) Left. We're not like most other countries, where creeping anti-Semitism undermines the moral aspect of support for Israel.