The part about "I don't fully support you" almost made me kick my debate mode into gear, and I'd rather not do that.
You must have some sort of short attention span. I said "I do not fully support you, but i dont go against you either" In other words, im on a neutral state, because i do not have emotions throwing me around everywhere. If i was arab, i would side with palestinians, if i was israeli, i would go for israel. But see, "i do not fully support you" means i do not NOT like arabs, and i do not go against you means i do no NOT like israelis
Israel is a very controversial subject in the United States, nor is it one that matches party lines. It tends to provoke people into heated debate much more easily than most other topics. So forgive Sentenal for having a heartfelt opinion on the subject; I can understand where he's coming from. I feel pretty strongly on the matter myself. And aye, he did misread what you wrote...but it's an easy mistake to make on this subject. Now that the record is set straight, all is right with the Compendium once again.
The controversy offers a very interesting glimpse into American culture, precisely because it has so little to do with the liberal/conservative spectrum that defines most controversial topics.
Support for Israel is the majority position in the United States. But although some groups overlap, the reasons for support are greatly diverse:
* The Jewish population--which is even larger than Israel's Jewish population--supports Israel overwhelmingly, from rich secular liberal Jews like Jon Stewart, to conservative fanatical ultraorthodox Jews like my half-brother Scott, to William Fucking Shatner himself, Lord of the Geeks.
(O Shatner, we salute You! May you live long and prosper, and continue to make music that could never possibly be taken seriously!)* The Christian extremists in this country tend to support Israel because of the pretend "Judeo-Christian alliance," which they have made with the Jewish community in order to advance the fight against Islam, which they really,
really hate. These guys are doing the ol' "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" trick.
* The mainstream Christian establishment therefore also supports Israel, because they buy into the Judeo-Christian message their leaders preach. Sure, most of them will still tell you that Jews are going to Hell, but as far as worldy alliances go, Jews rock!
* Many flag-waving, "freedom-loving" Americans support Israel because it is the only first-world democracy in the Middle East, and, some would argue, the only
functional country in the Middle East. This makes Israel a natural ally of America.
* Conservative knee-jerkers support Israel because Islamic terrorists are always trying to blow it up, discredit it on the world stage, and blow it up. Thus, so the reasoning goes, if the terrorists hate Israel, then, ipso facto, the knee-jerkers love it!
* The U.S. government supports Israel because the pro-Israel lobby is extremely strong and outspoken, and opposing Israel would therefore be political suicide. The vociferousness of these pro-Israel groups owes itself largely to affluent Jews with social clout, who, after centuries of persecution by almost everyone else on the planet, have gotten very good at playing the game by other people's rules.
* Neoconservatives and xenophobic conservatives support Israel because all our potential adversaries--from Russia, to China, to Europe--are very critical of Israel and hostile toward it economically, and Heaven forbid that these red-meat Americans would be caught
dead agreeing with the likes of France.
* Some secular Americans support Israel for what it is--a healthy, prosperous nation living in an unstable region of the world surrounded by enemies. Israel is a nation of civil liberties, human rights, enterprise, and a gritty pragmatism that comes with being such a popular target for bullies.
* And you have to admit, Israel is pretty cool. (i.e., liberal)
Opposition to Israel is the minority position in the United States, but a significant minority. However, there are fewer groups that represent this minority:
* Muslims overwhelmingly oppose Israel, for many of the same reasons that Jews support it. Modern Islam has become extremely anti-Semitic. (They'd have done better to pick on Christianity.)
* The Christian
super-extremists oppose Israel because, even though the thought of Islam makes them apoplectic, they can't bring themselves to make an alliance with Jews.
* Many rank-and-file liberals oppose Israel because of its violent relationship with the Palestinians, whom they perceive as victims of an overly aggressive Israeli land-grabbing war machine. This is by far the largest segment in the community of American opposition to Israel.
* Racists, neofascists, anti-Zionists, conspiracy-theorists, and professional anti-Semites hate Jews because, didn't you know, the Jews are responsible for every evil that has befallen the world, from hurricanes and tsunamis all the way down to that time their car ran out of gas on the highway.
* Some American businesses don't do business in Israel under pressure from Muslim governments and Arab businessmen who threaten to remove the Arab market from underneath their feet if they sell their products in Israel.
Reconciliation on the subject of Israel will be long in coming. Even after the Palestinians have a state of their own, world opposition to Israel will continue, because both Islam and Christianity are inherently anti-Semitic, and and until that ceases to be the case--or until Israel and the Jews simply cease to be--then the opposition will thrive, not only on the anti-Semitic level, but on many others as well. Tonight happens to mark the start of
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year. But unfortunately, some old problems just won't go away.
