I am somewhat surprised that there is not even any argument being made at all that there is a sort of

strategic value to Israel being an ally in the region because I do feel like that was the argument that was made before that to have a quote

unquote Western democracy in the region and a place to put our bombs and weapons in case all the other

bad guys around pop off that is the value of having Israel on our side as the quote-unquote

only democracy in the Middle East. That did seem to be the rationale that I feel like

I came up in but I don't even really hear it anymore.

It's so laughable, you know, no one can make that argument with a straight face any longer.

I think we should keep in mind that it was a rationale for the U.S-Israel relationship during the Cold War and which particularly

after 1951, 53 when the Israelis clearly took the Western camp position.

Prior to that, as as you know Israel from its

outset was a socialist country and you know the kibbutsema everything else is coming

out of that tradition. But once Israel made a clear decision to be in the Western camp

Israel very much became an ally of the

United States in the region that was pushing back against Soviet influence in the region,

etc, etc.

So in that context, I can understand an argument being made for that and incidentally

America's position back then was not anywhere near as grotesque as it is today in terms of the forgiveness of what the Israelis are doing, turning a blind eye to it while fully arming and funding it.

And I'm just take a look at some of the conversations between Menacham Beggin and Reagan back in 1982 and when he told him you got to stop

this bombardment of Lebanon and there's a picture of a mother holding a child that

has been injured or killed by the Israeli bombing which apparently was one of the things that triggered Reagan to take that position.

I mean, how many pictures of that kind a thousand times worse should by to not have seen by now with no impact.

So anyway, so there was a moment in which that was a valid argument, one could not necessarily

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