“Israel is the shadow of the Arab regimes, so if those ceased to exist their shadow would cease to exist”
Joe Biden Succinctly explaining US reasons for supporting Israel
In the United States and around the world, many are questioning why, despite some mild rebukes, Washington has maintained its large-scale military, financial, political, and diplomatic support for the Israeli occupation in the face of unprecedented violations of international law and human rights standards by Israeli occupation forces. Why is there such strong bipartisan support for Israel’s right-wing prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies in the occupied Palestinian territories?
The close relationship between the U.S. and Israel has been one of the most salient features
in U.S. foreign policy for nearly three and a half decades. The well over $3 billion in military
and economic aid sent annually to Israel by Washington is rarely questioned in Congress, even
by liberals who normally challenge U.S. aid to governments that engage in widespread
violations of human rights–or by conservatives who usually oppose foreign aid in general.
No other country comes close to offering the level of diplomatic support provided by Washington
-–with the United States often standing alone with Israel-- at the United Nations and other
international forums when objections are raised over ongoing Israeli violations of international
law and related concerns. Why is this the case? What benefits does the US get from this policy?
And is the “Israeli lobby” solely to blame?
