Paul: My policy benefits Israel

JTA ^ | 11/8/2007 | staff

[George W. Bush]

Paul: My policy benefits Israel

Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul says his foreign policy would benefit Israel.

Mainstream Jewish groups have shunned Paul, a U.S. congressman from Texas upsetting his party's presidential field. His lonely anti-war candidacy, once thought of as a long shot, is now competitive with front-runners in fund raising.

Paul has long opposed defense and other assistance to Israel, a policy consistent with his opposition to all foreign aid. He also has said the pro-Israel lobby is too influential in Washington, another statement that is consistent with his disdain for foreign policy lobbying.

In a statement released Wednesday to JTA, the Paul campaign cast those beliefs in a pro-Israel light. It reads, in part:

"I do believe that our current policies toward Israel are doing more harm than good to those we profess to support. Our foreign military aid to Israel is actually more like corporate welfare to the U.S. military industrial complex, as Israel is forced to purchase only U.S. products with the assistance."

Paul said, "We have adopted a foreign policy that has left Israel surrounded by militaristic nations while undermining Israel’s sovereignty by demanding that its foreign and defense policies be essentially pre-approved in Washington."

He adds later, "The United States should take care of its own sovereignty while at the same time respecting the sovereignty of nations like Israel. That is the best way to preserve security and prosperity for all."

[KDD]

You can thank Carter for that. We had to help Egypt maintain a strong military...especially since by making the peace with Israel, the Islamic world considered Egypt to be a traitor to Islam, and bought and paid for by the Great Satan, Anwar Sadat was assasinated because of it. Sadat was assassinated during the annual 6th October victory parade in Cairo. A fatwā approving the assassination had been obtained from Omar Abdel-Rahman, a cleric later convicted in the U.S. for his role in the February 26, 1993 World Trade Center Bombing. Sadat was protected by four layers of security and the army parade should have been safe due to ammunition-seizure rules. However, the officers in charge of that procedure were on hajj to Mecca.

[KDD]

That treaty should never have been forced on Israel. They gave up the Sinai and the only oil fields they possessed.

And talk about blowback.

[George W. Bush]

Hence we call off Israel's dogs when they are attacked, for fear of offending the Arab countries to which we are beholden. It's a crazy tightrope walk of currying favor the USA plays in the ME.

I think the Likud faction is in control even if out of power in these things. They seem to call the shots if you watch over a course of years.

Israel should tell us to take a flying leap and deal with their internal and external security threats forcefully, once and for all. They've been the victims of several aggressive wars against their sovereign and internationally recognized national territory and to ongoing genocidal incitement and statements of intent from their enemies in the region. Their neighbors are a pack of Hitlers who have a bloodlust to kill Jews. Period.

I support Israel absolutely. Including the use of nuclear weapons. And I don't think we have any business meddling in their internal or external security issues. I do think they should always have access to our arsenal as customers though. They are the only democracy in the region and they need to defend themselves. Especially against the Saudis and their new $30 Billion in advanced weapons and the Saudi nukes which will likely come online in the next few years as we continue to look the other way and wail over an Iranian bomb.

[KDD]

After watching American foreign policy in the Middle East for over forty years I have come to the conclusion that we pay Israel 3 billion a year to practice restraint.

We should butt out and let Israel police their own neighborhood while they still have the ability to do so.

[George W. Bush]

A very fine post.

So often, we forget the real and significant connections between these people and the events. Even recent history is forgotten as we rush to make new policy that virtually guarantees a re-enactment of the same fundamental policy errors that make matters in the oilpatch worse.

[George W. Bush]

...and not sending one damn dime to the Palestinians.

With all that oil money, it's funny how the oil shiekhs won't part with it unless they're paying off suicide bombers who massacre defenseless Jewish women, children and elderly.

We should cut off the Palis entirely and tell them to turn to their great supporters in the wealthy Arab countries for their support. Maybe it would sink in.

Or just cut them off, severe diplomatic relations, and say nothing at all. They are lead by known terrorists and they are a state sponsor of terrorism.

[Badeye]

Ron Paul makes some valid points, on most topics you care to raise.

That said, I don’t give a rats ass what his view of Israel is.

My concern is his view that we brought upon ourselves, via policies in the ‘last decade’ the attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon.

That myopic viewpoint is exceedingly dangerous in this new era. The fact he ignores completely that Islamic terrorists had killed well over 800 American citizens between the 1972 Munich Massacre and SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2001 makes his assertion assine.

Sorry GWB, we agree on other things, just not this wannabe savior.

[montag813]

"Ron Paul would..."

Ron Paul won't. Because Santa Claus has a better chance of getting elected. But don't let that get in the way of yet another meaningless thread...

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

PAUL'S A KOOK! THIS PRESS RELEASE WAS WRITTEN IN CODE BY WHITE SUPREMACISTS!

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

examine the results of Dr. Braun's win in Georgia's Tenth earlier this year.

Exactly, GWB. You'd think the Stupid Party would get a clue.

[rineaux]

We have pledged some 468 plus million dollars to Abbas and his Fatah. For what? It’s insane.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

It was the US that urged the Gaza pull out. It was the US that continually works to keep Israel from attacking those attacking it.

Yeah but according to the Paul bashers, it's still Paul's fault somehow. Just because he votes against sending aid to Israel he's a flaming anti-Semitic. Nevermind that he voted against sending aid to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, like the administration has done repeatedly. But those countries don't matter because that would get in the way of some good Paul bashing.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

That said, I don’t give a rats ass what his view of Israel is.

You don't "give a rat's ass" because one of the Paul bashers' lies have been shot down. Now it's back to the old talking points of Paul saying that 9/11 was an inside job, etc.

[George W. Bush]

Exactly, GWB. You'd think the Stupid Party would get a clue.

It's not just a clue. It's our blueprint for electing Ron Paul as our 44th president.

[Badeye]

No, EEE.

I honestly could care less what his view of Israel is. Honestly, I didn’t care what Bush’s was either, or Clinton’s, or Bush the Elder, or Reagan’s.

That never comes into play with my deciding who I’ll vote for.

And while you and the other Ron Paul supporters know clearly what I think of him, you cannot find a single post of mine here at Free Republic, or anywhere else on the world wide web (I always use this screen name, or a clear variation of it in forums, have done so since 1999) that indicates otherwise.

I’m not voting for who will be best or worst for the State of Israel. I’m voting for who I think is the best person for the job of POTUS.

[KDD]

My concern is his view that we brought upon ourselves, via policies in the ‘last decade’

Your decade should read decades...plural..

Zbigniew Brzezinski, who served as national security advisor under Carter, explained his rationale for US actions in Afghanistan during the late 1970's and 1980's: "What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war?"

This quote comes from a 1998 interview, after a French journalist noted that Islamist movements were growing in strength. I doubt if Brzezinski would incredulously ask such questions today. The intention here is not to blame the United States for the actions of terrorists, as they still bear full responsibility for their ghastly crimes. But when our media and politicians ignore the connection between our past actions and current attacks against us, they are being extremely disingenuous.

Against tomorrow's blowback

[Badeye]

My concern is his view that we brought upon ourselves, via policies in the ‘last decade’
Your decade should read decades...plural..

Ron Paul didn’t use the plural, so nope.

I understand what you are trying to say, however. It just doesn’t apply to what I’m saying related to Ron Paul’s now infamous comment in the debate a couple of months back.

[Badeye]

‘of Paul saying that 9/11 was an inside job, etc.’

btw, I’ve never claimed that either, in any post.

I do admit I’ve laughed at some of the posts related to that sort of thing, however....(chuckle)

[George W. Bush]

Good post. And welcome to FR.

the Israelis have grown used to the subsidy and don’t want to give it up.

Maybe some have. To say there's a majority? I dunno. This is a matter of the differences between Israeli citizens and the Israeli ruling elites who don't always pay attention to their own citizens (see our own recent Shamnesty meltdown for how it occurs here).

Netanyahu tried to wean them off this years ago knowing full well that its acceptance would eventually lead to them having to accept a peace accord to satisfy US interests

I think he may get back to office again. Too talented for his career to be over yet.

As for a peace accord to satisfy US interests, a lot of people don't recognize that a key bloc in forcing these bad policies on Israel is the influence of the American Jewish community who tend to rally around and vote for Dims. So while the worst of these policies are advocated by Dim politicians, they are actually acting on behalf of and in agreement with a narrow segment of the American Jewish community. The majority of American Jews are not as pro-Israel as some people think and they think we meddle too much there, send too much aid, send too many weapons, etc. Of course, as with any topic involving Jews, you'll find almost as many completely different opinions as you can find Jews. Honestly, I do wonder how they ever reach consensus on anything because they have such an extremely wide range of views on these matters and about Israel most of all. I have to admit, as a Gentile, trying to parse Israeli Jews vs. American Jews and all their various factions and political connections is just too confusing. I found an article by a Jewish writer at Time a while back that detailed the incredible mix of views and politics and interconnections in the relations between the leadership of Israel and Israeli citizens and the leadership of American Jewish organizations and Jewish Americans and all the interconnections. I have to admit, I think I was more confused after reading it and it was a great article too, long and detailed.

Sometimes I wonder how we're supposed to make American and Israeli Jews happy with any solution. I think we should let them work it out. Same thing with Israeli Jews and the Palis (and I think the Israeli Jews should tell the American Jews to butt out of internal Israeli security matters and stop forcing them to negotiate with terrorists and having to accept fake peace accords). If American Jews want to determine Israeli security policy, then they should move there, serve in their armed forces and live there. It's awfully easy to dictate these awful compromises to Israeli Jews when you aren't the one who has to live there with the dangers of terrorism and surrounded by millions of hostile Muslims who have genocidal intent toward you for being a Jew.