Quote Originally Posted by bourbon View Post
So if we can take some of the wind out of the salafi-jihadist sails, at cost of halting our unconditional support of Israel, then I am all for it.
I am not sure I understand this. Are you saying that you can appease the Arab extremists by not seeking to assist Israel in its national defence?

The problem the salafi-jihadist have with Israel is their existence. That's not negotiable. At worst the Jihadists seek to kill every Jew in the Middle-East, and at best crush them back to a stateless ethnic minority. That's what is at stake.

It's an utter myth to suggest that the biggest reason the Arab/Islamist extremists hate the US is because of their support for Israel. They hate the US anyway, especially the Iranians, because of all the US interference in their country, over the last 50 years, and about 200 "good" reasons. The Iraq invasion may well have a lot to do with anti-US feeling. Hating Jews is just their cherry on the cake.

Note how Morocco does not care about Israel's existence, as some 18% of Israelis are Moroccans.
Note how Turkey, an Islamic country, is a de facto ally of Israel.

Viewed from an Israeli perspective, US support is not "unconditional." What is more, the majority of Israelis do not want unconditional US support. What they want is the US's assistance to ensure their survival.

99% Israelis know far more about the Middle East, than 99% of Americans and see the US as generally culturally ignorant, especially when it comes to the Arabs, so taking advice/pressure from the US about foreign policy and national survival is not well received.