This message was self-deleted by its author

[Mosby]

This message was self-deleted by its author (Mosby) on Fri Jun 24, 2016, 04:37 PM. When the original post in a discussion thread is self-deleted, the entire discussion thread is automatically locked so new replies cannot be posted.

[Bill Fishlore]

3. Endless

The conflict surrounding Israel may go on for two centuries. That's how long the last Crusader state lasted. No amount of tinkering or patching is going to resolve it. It is possible that the current Arab civil war will eventually produce some sort of United States of Arabia Caliphate with the economic and political power peacefully to absorb a semiautonomous Jewish state of Israel as one of its constituent members. Possible, but I don't expect to live to see it.

Meanwhile, the Likud extremist have managed to shoot their way into a box canyon where, surrounded and outnumbered sixty to one, they are dependent on constant and massive US military support for survival. The world has condemned Israel and the idea of a century of unilateral US support seems increasingly unlikely. Israel has no strategic value and no oil. It does have a wealthy American Jewish community, but even there patience is running thin and the price is climbing.

To many Americans the fall of the Jewish state seems impossible, but it has happened a couple of times before. 2070 will mark the two thousandth anniversary of the end of the last one. And then there is King Baldwin. Remember him? His Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem lasted almost as long as the United States has (so far).

[shira]

5. Israel definitely has strategic value. It's because of the IDF that the USA.....

....hasn't had to commit 100's of thousands of troops & aircraft carriers throughout the middle east for the past 5 decades, losing mass amounts of blood and treasure.

Is Israel America's Ultimate Ally?
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/04/is-israel-americas-ultimate-ally/237864/