That first video is straight up Israeli propaganda. The guy says military aid to Israel can be considered an "investment" because:
1) Israel purchases (with American money) US military hardware from Lockheed Martin or Boeing or some other defense contractor, which employ Americans. Therefore it is good to give them money.
2) They battle test US military hardware in real conflicts and provide valuable data back
3) Israel's use of these weapons gives it the stamp of approval required for other countries to buy it.
That's clearly bullshit.
Heh, you quoted only one video and none of those points is BS. Keep reading the rest of the links in that post which talk of the benefits the US has accrued
since 70s. Yes? That's where the word 'investment' comes from.
It's true that the military-industrial complex in America benefits greatly from US military spending and they are a lobby similar in size to AIPAC. But mass producing weaponry and giving it away to Israel is not exactly providing much benefit to the people of America, especially when the US defense budget is already exceptionally large and they outspend every other country by an order of magnitude.
Again you need to follow fully the links mentioned above. You think the US gives out charity because of AIPAC? which is to use your colourful term 'bullshit'.
What would actually benefit the US is if the $26 billion they just spent was used domestically, for non-military purposes, like building infrastructure, spending on education/health care. The US could generate way more direct and quantifiable benefit with that money if they simply spent it on their own people.
And why aren't they doing that then? You could ask that question anytime from now to fifty years back.
A pan-American high speed rail, for example, would generate much more economic growth for them than just giving money away to Israel.
Lol, this idea tells me how clueless you are about the US where such an idea will never work and not for a want of trying.
The fact that he expects us to believe that giving it to Israel is the only productive use for money is pretty ridiculous.
He never said that. The US is free to use its money as it wishes. As is Israel free to choose its defense partners who will be more reliable in times of distress. There are very good reasons we don't rely too much on the US for arms. A realisation that is just dawning on the Israelis.
As for 2) The US has been engaged in active military conflicts for much of its history, and they have several avenues for allies to **purchase** their weaponry through organizations like NATO, or to test them by funding proxy wars like with Ukraine. They only just recently pulled out of Afghanistan. The idea that America needs Israel to test their latest hardware for them is a very, very flimsy reason.
Name those allies in the middle east? That can come close to Israeli competency. The answer is NONE. You forget all those other allies are not in the middle east but elsewhere. Now should the US decide it no longer has any more interests in the region then Israel will be less useful to collaborate with. I would not hold my breath for the US to do that though.
3) ??? This is the F-35 we're talking about. Nobody really cares what Israel thinks about it. US military hardware is the most advanced on the planet right now and has been for a very long time. If someone wants absolute proof of their effectiveness, they need to only look at almost every recent military conflict, including Ukraine.
The Israelis don't need F35 for their defence. They want the versions of F15 & F16 which are not on the list of arms available to them. They know their needs better than anyone else. Israelis know those jets inside out and can overhaul their engines as well. The gulf countries would be sending their jets to Israel for the same purpose.
As for the US controlling Israel, you would think that but that has not seemed to be the case for a long time. Theoretically, yes, the US could yank the leash and keep them in line.
This is no theory but fact. Biden has said he would not support an invasion of Lebanon. No pre-emptive strikes allowed. This is why after over 10k rockets fired by hezbollah, Israel still sits still and even now they are just threatening. The media seems to think a Lebanon invasion is coming anytime now.
No, it isnt.
They have tried to, in very loose terms, endorse a ceasefire and try to scale down Israel's killing of innocent civilians several times.
A ceasefire is tantamount to a Hamas victory so that's out with this administration or any other. The combatants to civilians ratio is the lowest ever in such an urban conflict. But yeah, no more 2,000lb bombs to take out buildings so the IDF has to go into booby trapped buildings one by one and the butchers bill is rising.
Each time Israel escalates the conflict in the region versus Iran or Hezbollah, the US comes out and says they don't want an escalation. But nothing ever happens. Because any sitting US president realistically can't be strong against Israel because so much of their political funding comes from Israeli/Jewish lobbyist groups.
Israel isn't escalating the conflict in the region with Iran. They are working laterally. What if I told you the US stopped an Israeli strike on Iran back in 2012. Which in hindsight would have reduced the nuclear threat without sparking a regional war.
It would essentially be political suicide for either Kamala Harris or Trump to say that the US should distance themselves from Israel or the war in the Gaza strip.
You have to separate the two.
Harris says she stands for self defense of Israel. On the surface that sounds great but it means no offense. Israel never gets to defeat its opponents which is what was behind these ceasefire efforts. Prevent Hamas from losing. What kind of ally behaves like this? Appeases your adversaries and opposes you. This is why Harris must not win if Israel is to have peace. There cannot be peace without victory.
Trump would not put anywhere near these restrictions on Israel.
Israel has done to America what America has done to many countries in the past, they've manipulated their political process to make sure that Americans don't have a choice.
Heh, it seems the other way around. The present defense minister and a couple of former cabinet ministers are American lackeys. Because they never fail to advocate American positions in opposition to the ruling party.
What does it say of an ally when the senate leader asks for the resignation of your PM? Do they expect Israeli to conduct elections in the middle of a war? You don't know any of this because you're not following Israeli media.
The tail wagging the dog situation you imply isn't credible at all. What Oct 7 has done is demolish many myths about Israel. Like how invulnerable and superior Israel is or how the Jewish lobby controls the US.
Every candidate is pro-Israel. Even RFK Jr.
That's a good thing. How long it lasts remains to be seen. The way the university pro hamas protests have been tolerated doesn't inspire confidence if democrats are in charge. And two thirds to three quarters of American jews will vote Harris much to Trump's understandable frustration.
As an atheist, I don't have a dog in the Muslims vs Jews / Palestine vs Israel fight over historical ownership of that part of the world. I'll admit that I'm easily more convinced by the arguments made regarding mass Israeli immigration to present day Palestine/Israel supported by the UK and the US leading up to and after the creation of the Jewish state, with subsequent displacement of Palestianians etc.
The UK blocked immigration of jews from Europe to Israel in the 30s. The Holocaust would have been much lower or never happened. The UK didn't support the creation of a Jewish state. They washed their hands of it. It was the UN that enabled the creation of Israel. A very close vote with 12 for and 12 against. The Philippines broke the tie in Israel's favour.
A lot of the anti Israel arguments you hear are soviet propaganda from the 60s & 70s. Very sophisticated lies because they lost out to the west in the gulf. So to hold on to what little they had they went against Israel.
ICC requested arrest warrants for Israeli PM and his defence minister in May for alleged war crimes in Gaza
www.theguardian.com
There is literally an active warrant for Netanyahu's arrest.
He addressed Congress in july and will address the UN soon. He didn't get arrested then nor will he. This is the ICC being hijacked for political purposes. If this stands next thing you know NATO personnel will also come under the scanner.
Every UN committee agrees that Israel has at the very least wanton disregard for civilian life as they invade Gaza, or that they are straight up committing a genocide. Most of the world, outside of exceptions like the US, agrees that Israel's actions are indefensible. I called them a settler colonialist state. But if you'd like, I can just call them a genocidal apartheid state instead. If the previous label only somewhat applies, the latter one definitely does.
You don't get to start a war, lose and then call it genocide. It's called a defeat. Nobody serious is entertaining this genocide argument. Its just political rhetoric by the jew hating lot.
How can the term apartheid be true when Israeli arabs who make up 20% of the population have the same rights as jews? And are represented in many walks of life from media, the IDF, the health sector, the supreme court as well as the legislature.
The health sector one is quite pertinent because the odds an injured IDF soldier will be attended to by an Israeli arab doctor are likely and vice versa. The most ironic part is Israeli arabs have more rights, freedoms and respect in Israel than in the rest if the arab world. They're not emigrating out.
