Are American Jews are using US assets for Israel and that's hurting US interests?

Answer 1

Answer 1

You can't deny it. Because the main reason of wars against Iraq and also against Afghanistan is supporting israel and we all can judge that these wars hurts US interests.

Answer 2

There are two questions here.

First: Are American Jews using US assets for Israel? -- Yes. American Jews support numerous lobbying groups that impress upon Congress the value of supporting Israel. This is no different than other ethnic groups that support lobbying groups that try to direct US policy vis-à-vis other countries; it just happens that the pro-Israel lobby is much more effective and well-organized than other similar lobbies.

Second: Is using US assets for Israel hurting US interests? -- No. First, the US Aid to Israel makes up about 0.03% of the US GDP. To put that in perspective, it would pay for around a week in Iraq or half-a-day of Social Security. Additionally, 80% of the money earmarked for Israel can only be spent by Israel on US-produced weapons. This means that the money appropriated for Israel mostly goes to support US firms and US jobs, making it a win-win for both Israel and the US. This is aside from the fact that numerous recent technological innovations in both military and civilian technology have come to the US from Israel, providing economic gains that more than offset the remaining 20%.

There is an assumption here that disavowing Israel will make the Muslim States like the US; this is not the case. At best, the Muslim States would be neutral and wary towards the US. More likely, their attitude will not change or get worse. In addition to Israel, many Muslims have other grievances with the US such as US Economic Imperialism, Coups d'État in certain countries, the Cold War History, the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Protection of East Timor, US Unilateralism, and general American Aloofness about the world. Disavowing Israel would do nothing to resolve any of these issues. In contrast, Israelis actually like the US for having supported their country.

Additionally, as concerns Answer 1, the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were not done for Israel's benefit. Afghanistan was invaded to eliminate Al-Qaeda and the Taliban government that protected them. This was a direct result of the September 11th Attacks on the United States, the attacks on the US Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, and the bombing of the USS Cole. As concerns Iraq, the purposes behind the war are murkier, but Israel did not want the Iraqi Regime to fall. The reason for this is that Iraq was the strongest bulwark against Iranian influence and Israel saw Iraq as the lesser of two evils.