Genuine question - why does the USA support Israel so strongly?

[Bathsheba1789]

Genuine question. I just don’t understand it. I do know some of the history, and the feelings about the need to create a Jewish homeland post WW2. However currently - Netanyahu and Biden don’t get on, Obama had a very frosty relationship with Netanyahu. The current Israeli coalition government contains some openly extremist politicians who have used racist rhetoric against the Palestinians in the past.
The IDF are clearly committing war crimes and the international pressure for a ceasefire is mounting.
So why is the US so pro Israel? The current debate about the UN resolution - why is the US demanding the language be watered down to keep Netanyahu happy - for goodness sake the USA is the most powerful country in the world.
genuinely don’t get it. This isn’t a goading question I just scratch my head at the whole thing (when not feeling utter despair at the terrible suffering in the world).

@Pitpatwaddlepat so supporting Israel's right to exist is a fundamentalist belief now? Some of these comments

Mine should say culturally significant not culturally ignorant! Darn autocorrect

I don't think I said that supporting Israel's right to exist was a fundamentalist belief... I said that the US basing their foreign policy on the rapture might be considered a fringe belief... Since this is a UK forum and the UK is secular.

You've really honed in on that part of my post haven't you, despite the my main opinion being that "anything but Islam" was the main motivation for America's support.

Good grief, talk about looking for offense. Christian fundamentalism is a thing. Perhaps read the post again.

www.britannica.com/summary/Christian-fundamentalism#:~:text=Christian%20fundamentalism%2C%20Conservative%20Protestant%20movement,Birth%2C%20resurrection%2C%20and%20atonement.

@chickadeeky yes I have picked up on certain words you were using and things you were saying as they reeked of old anti-Semitic tropes about Jews being powerful, influential and 'significant'. Maybe you don't realise what you're saying and if that's the case then there's a lot of unconscious anti-semitism in your thought process that you should maybe take a look at.

So "genuine question" is the new "please excuse my ignorance", and as if by magic we're straight into conspiracy territory of controlling Jews.

I didn't say anything about power or influence so maybe you have me mixed up with someone else.

@FOJN of course Christian fundamentalism is a thing but to come on a post asking why America supports Israel and to give that at the answer is very telling. I'm not saying they don't exist and that they do t support Israel but to call that out as the reason is showcasing a wilfully biased perspective which actively ignores the actual reasons. Those being that America supports Israel's right to exists because the Jewish people have endured 1000s years of persecution, endless violence, oppression and murder. Israel is a place where Jews can flee persecution. By having Israel Jews from Ethiopia, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe have been able to escape genocide. That's why, but good to see the first thoughts people have are it's because Jews are powerful because the Christian fundamentalists support them, and they're powerful. These answers actually confirm the need for Israel to exist

@chickadeeky the fact that you thought there was a big Jewish population says it all, it's your perspective on Jews. The fact that they're a very small percentage of a population yet you believe they're bigger than they are and 'significant' is very telling. If you actually care about having an unconscious bias towards Jews and want to change that then you should read 'Jews don't count' by David baddiel.

That’s not the question. I support Israel’s right to exist. It does exist - most Israelis were born in Israel, they have as much right as anyone to be there. The question is why does the US support Israel so much? Especially as their are clearly frosty relations with the current government.

Both countries need each other and the US to remain as a superpower. One example but not a major reason but for instance, American politicians need the lobbying to fund their campaigns, huge arm trades deal, they need them for spyware. It's a relationship with mutual interests. Both countries have their hands in each other's pockets (economy) and politics but I would say Israel has their hands more in the US politics than the other way around. I don't believe this has to do with religion whatsoever, it's just political motivation. Some relationships break but I would never see these two countries at each other's throats unless the whole US political system changes but that will never ever happen because those that try will get cancelled :)

You seriously don't believe the US supports Israel for anything other than strategic reasons do you? MAGA. America first.

This.

There's no guilt, no idea why anyone would say that. American Christianity is tied to Israel and that's foundational to our politics.

https://ips-dc.org/us-israel_policy/

The Jews and the Christians will mostly be on the side of Israel I would imagine. And there are a lot of Jews and Christians in the USA

You took issue with the word fundamentalist not the argument you have made here.

It’s America’s strategic ally in the Middle East. They are not going to let go of that, it’s like having a big US base right in the middle of everything. Also Mossad has free rein in the US and works closely with the CIA. It is an alliance that suits them both. It’s all about the oil, commercialism and business and a strategic place in the gulf. They bankroll the arms and the iron dome in return. Neither of them give a damn about anything else.

@mollyfolk that's exactly the question. Israel is constantly fighting for its existence, supporting israel 'so strongly' is supporting its right to exist.

@ayegazumba I think what I was getting at by ‘so strongly’ is that the USA doesn’t criticise Israel when it would other countries. I wasn’t questioning it’s right to exist.

For example, I support Russia’s right to exist. But I criticise the current invasion of Ukraine. Just criticising a country’s actions (like the bombardment of Gaza that isn’t actually working and just causing huge suffering) doesn’t mean you don’t think it should exist.

I understand but you can't compare this to what's happening with russia. There's no similarities. Russia attacked and invaded ukraine completely unprovoked. Not mentioning the actions of Hamas on October 7th is to completely ignore the reason for what's happening and to deny Israel's right to exist even if you don't realise that's what you're doing. Israel is quite literally fighting for existence right now surrounded by those intent at destroying every single person who lives there. Hamas don't hide that's what they want to do, they're proud of it, they parade it around, they make promises to repeat October 7th again and again. What's happening in Gaza is horrendous but to put the responsibility on Israel and not Hamas when any other country would do exactly the same to protect its citizens shows a very strange bias towards Israel as a country. Why are there so many threads on this every day? Why hasn't any other conflict or war attracted so much attention? Why are the Hamas atrocities so willfully overlooked, dismissed and even denied? Even when Russia invaded Ukraine (and they're still there in case anyone has forgotten) we didn't see the outrage like this. I'd just ask anyone not personally linked to this conflict to start asking themselves some questions.

Well, how about Israel being pretty much the only functioning democracy in the Middle East, where women are equal in the eyes of the law with men, and there is at least some semblance of LGB rights? Israeli citizens don’t go around calling the US the great satan and burning the Stars and Stripes…

Jewish people also don’t have a track record of blowing up large numbers of American citizens, and despite the Holocaust have failed to be radicalised to the extent where they are calling for the extermination of an entire group of people. I suspect if the Middle East countries didn’t have a long history of terrorism against the USA, relations might be a bit less frosty….

It’s the only genuine democracy in the Middle East.

It is the only country in the region with genuine equal rights for women and LGBT.

Its population are educated and sophisticated.

It’s a liberal capitalist oasis in a sea of complex, theocracies.

For the above reasons it’s a strategic ally.

I’m not comparing Russia’s actions to Israel @ayegazumba - you’re missing my point.
what I mean is that all countries will do things that deserve criticism. I include the UK in this, don’t have to look too far back in history.

what I mean is that criticising a country doesn’t mean you think it shouldn’t exist.

@TheSuggestedAmendment it’s only a genuine democracy for Israelis. Palestinians are second class citizens. Look at the judicial processes against them for a start. Destruction of their homes. Also many Israelis protested Netanyahu’s judicial reforms this year for being anti democratic.