Three questions we should all ask ourselves about Israel
As an American, is it better for our country to have a Jewish state in the Middle East than it would be without it?As a Christian, is it better for us to have a Jewish state in the Holy Land than it would be without it?Is the world a better place with a Jewish state in the Levant than it would be without it?
Now, why these questions? Because without American assistance the state of Israel, which is surrounded by its enemies, would cease to exist. The surrounding Arab states are too rich, too powerful, and too fanatical for Israel to survive without American support. We are about two trillion petrodollars away from the Six-Day War.
When people argue that we should not help Israel, what they are really saying is that the state of Israel should not exist. They may truly believe this, and it may in fact be a legitimate political, anti-Zionist argument (we will come back to this below). But let's be honest about this existential question.
I think when you put it in the form of these three questions, to ask the questions, is the answer them. Nevertheless, let's take them in turn:
As an American, is it better for our country to have a Jewish state in the Middle East than it would be without it?
What is the alternative? The resulting Palestinian state would resemble every other Middle Eastern state. That is, it would be either ruled by a strongman, like its next door neighbors Jordan and Syria, it would be a theocracy like Iran, or it would be a combination of these two, like Saudi Arabia. Those are the only possible results. So we can kiss a western-style democracy goodbye. Meaning there will be no western-style democracy in the region.
As a Christian, is it better for us to have a Jewish state in the Holy Land than it would be without it?
The state of Israel protects the holy places of Christianity. And welcomes tourists and pilgrims of all religions. Without Israel, these places will simply be destroyed. And how much Christianity would an Islamic Palestinian state allow? How many Christian churches would they tolerate? Tell me again how many churches you can find in Iran or Saudi Arabia?
Is the world a better place with a Jewish state in the Levant than it would be without it?
Again, what is the alternative? Another Arab/Islamic country. This question is really a summation of the first two. You must decide: Is the world a better place with or without Israel?
Now this is not simply a left-of-center dilemma. There is a branch of the right that believes that Israel's problems are, and should remain, solely Israel's problems. But they should all ask themselves the above three questions. When they say, I don't believe in sending American money to other countries, any other countries, when we have so many problems here at home, that's fine. I actually agree with this sentiment, with the one exception of Israel. Why? Again, ask these questions. There's your answer.
Also, ask these questions regarding any other country, say Ukraine. I think you will find completely different answers. No, we do not have to treat Ukraine the same way we treat Israel. The idea is preposterous.
Now let's come back to the question of whether or not the state of Israel should exist? Is this a legitimate political question? Or is it anti-semitic? Well, if you honestly believe that the state of Israel should not exist, I think you have a duty to explain what happens to all the Jews currently living there? If you say: They should go back to Poland; or, they should live under an Islamic regime; these are not serious answers. And believe me, many Muslims have much more uninviting ideas.
Don't look to me for an answer to this question; I believe entirely that Israel has a right to exist. This is a problem for those of you who say it does not have a right to exist. So give us a reasonable answer to this question.
Or yes, you are simply just another garden-variety anti-semite.
Finally, what about those who say: Yes absolutely, Israel has a right to exist...but that does not mean America should be supporting them with money and arms. This is the Tucker Carlson position. I completely agree with almost every other position he holds. So I assume his heart is in the right place, and I absolutely give him the benefit of doubt on this.
But I do not see a difference in the result of this position and in the result of the they do not have a right to exist position. Your motivations may be different, but we will end up with the same result.