Pollard rushed to emergency room

[dayag]

The fact that Pollard cooperated with the investigation in exchange for the U.S. promising not to seek life imprisonment, and then getting sentenced to life anyways means that spies caught in the future will not trust the government and will keep their mouths shut. The U.S. government needs to reflect on that fact.

If the U.S. needs someone to make an example of, it should pick someone who spies for an enemy nation. Some of the information which Pollard gave Israel was information the U.S. had agreed to share with Israel but was withholding due to Weinberger's animosity towards the Jewish state. That is not the way one ally treats another either.

The idea that the U.S. does all the heavy lifting is nonsense. And unlike other U.S. allies, Israel does not ask for any American troops to defend them. They do their own fighting. As of spring 2010, 22,684 Israeli soldiers had died in the line of duty. This does not even count the thousands of Israeli civilians that have been murdered by Arab terrorism. The U.S. had 3,542 combat deaths in Iraq, 113 in the Gulf War, and 1,435 in Afghanistan.

Israel took out Saddam's nuke program when they destroyed the Osirak reactor in 1981. That alone is worth all the aid it has been given. Israel and the U.S. help each other out because it is in both of our interests.

If American support depends on injustice for Pollard, I'd rather do without your help, thanks very much. And keep in mind how little influence the U.S. will have over Israeli actions should we no longer be allies. Reflect on that fact very well.

[Reffo]

Chris

Many of the things you say are true. Although I would agree with Dayag that Israel too has put a lot of positive things into the relationship even more than the examples that he listed. As to who has done the heavier lifting? That is not the real issue. The real issue is that both parties have benefited from the alliance.

Having said that, I agree with you that times are changing and there are clouds on the horizon. Nevertheless, as a long standing admirer of America (who has never been to America) who has family ties to Israel, I hope that the alliance will last a long time to come. But I also hope that Israel is making some contingency plans.

PS
I don't think the Pollard issue has anything to do with the above. The trends that you describe would be there. With or without Pollard. Just my opinion.

[Chris Keller]

If American support depends on injustice for Pollard, I'd rather do without your help, thanks very much. And keep in mind how little influence the U.S. will have over Israeli actions should we no longer be allies. Reflect on that fact very well.

You are quite right, though is Israel retaliated too much against its enemies in the inevitable conflicts that would arise (for instance, with atomic weapons) the world's economy would collapse for decades and might never recover. That is another reason why a total unilateral policy on the part of Israel would not be wise. I do not know about you, but I do not want to till the soil myself to earn a living.

Remember, though, that empires come and go, and often end on a permanent basis. The American empire will follow that same pattern, and usually it is determined by money and social conditions. Empires that see class upheaval generally shrink or fall. Examples: the Russians pulled out of Central Asia after about two centuries. The Chinese abandoned Central Asia for a thousand years. Both events took place at times of social upheaval inside those societies.

America is getting close to the brink and seems to be losing its middle class. It was middle class Americans of the Baby Boom and Greatest Generations who were the ones who supported Israel. In a future America with no middle class, the poor will not support it and the ruling class will be a wild card. I do not think that Israel should alienate the middle class that remains in America.

I know that it seems harsh, but Pollard needs to remain locked up, at least for now. And Israel needs to keep its good relationship with America for as long as possible.

[Reffo]

I know that it seems harsh, but Pollard needs to remain locked up, at least for now. And Israel needs to keep its good relationship with America for as long as possible

What I don't understand is why is there a need for Israel to choose between Pollard or good relations? Like I said, Pollard got his just punishment. He spent more time in jail than some spies who spied for enemy countries of the USA. So maybe it is in the interest of both parties to now put this sad affair behind them. Quietly and without fanfare.

[Reffo]

The attempted invasion of Jordan by Syria was a prime example of the role that Israel played to both deter the invasion and the fact that it saved the need for American soldiers to be deployed.

n the midst of the Jordanian civil war with Palestinians during September 1970, Syria conducted a short-lived armored incursion into northern Jordan. U.S. leaders, seeing Syrian inter- vention through the prism of Cold War politics, responded with extensive military preparations to intervene on behalf of Jordan’s King Hussein and prepared to block Soviet intervention on behalf of Syria. When Syria withdrew its forces after 3 days of combat with the Jordanian army, U.S. decisionmakers not only praised the Jordanian resistance but also concluded that Syria’s withdrawal was a victory for U.S. statecraft.
Recently declassified material provides
a richly detailed account of how Washington quickly developed plans, deployed forces, and solicited Israeli military assistance in response to the rapidly developing crisis. The combina- tion of these steps would have allowed U.S. or encouraged Israeli intervention to save King Hussein from a potential Syrian onslaught. Contemporary memoirs, public statements, and diplomatic cables suggest that several key international actors involved in the crisis acknowledged the import of the U.S. military moves

http://www.ndu.edu/press/lib/images/jfq-55/25.pdf

Undoubtedly such a reliance on Israel saved the need for America to place it's soldiers in harms way.

That was just one instance. And what about the numerous times that Israel passed on fully functioning captured Russian weapons systems, including a MIG aircraft, to it's American ally? Israel may be a junior partner but it too paid it's dues to foster the alliance. And I hope it will continue to be useful for many years to come.