Do not get me wrong - there must be plenty screw-ups in Israeli military and government - may be even as many as in ours! And their democracy - talk about a dozen major political parties!
Nevertheless, they are smart, educated, love their children very much and the frontline for most of them is closer then the distance we, americans, usually drive to a picknic.
So I assume they consider very carefully what they are doing. I've been there twice and my observation agree with my logic.
At the same time my first-hand experience with totalitarian regimes and religiuous fanatics tells me that those are not that considerate when it comes to the human lives - of their subjects and adversaries, of course, not of the ruling elite!
Israeli had a very mild and conciliatory government not long ago. Quite recently that government tried to buy peace by betraying their southern-lebanese christian allies. They unilaterally pulled out in too short time to let the southern lebanese even to evacuate to Israel.
Probably their experience of trying to live peacefully with spanish inquisition, Hitler and other zealots told them they would get be let alone this time...
They started paying for that immediately. Now the hawks are in power but the damage is done.
If we abandon Israel, what do you think will happen? Not only they have nuclear weapons, they have (or will shortly have) capability to conduct a nuclear strike even if the Israel itself is completely obliterated (deep shafts, submarines). Do you think they will care about US oil supplies when it comes to the nuke exchange?
Sandman,
Why look at Israel? Every year we (the US government and the citizens) pour $60 billion more into Chinese economy then they do into ours. It cost us jobs too!
Also, while we buy cheap consumer junk, some of it produced by prison labor, we sell them heavy industrial equipment, infrastructure, etc.
miko
