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If it weren't for a large portion of the American public having religious motivation (evangelical protestantism) to support Israel unconditionally, no matter wh
by lupusreal 2y ago
If it weren't for a large portion of the American public having religious motivation (evangelical protestantism) to support Israel unconditionally, no matter what, then the US would be able to exert considerable pressure on Israel, for instance by threatening to cut off Israel as Israel has been cutting off Gaza. No more arms shipments, no more UN Security Council vetos of any anti-Israel resolution, etc.
But of course this is politically impossible for the US. Near half of the US population would throw an absolute fit.
- tptacek 2y agoEvangelicals are a small component of the electorate relative to Israel's support (they're like a quarter of the population, and, of course, they're locked in completely to the opposition party; Democrats don't meaningfully campaign for evangelical votes.)
- Qwertious 2y agoDemocrats are only half of congress, though - Republican support is needed to pass bills, currently.
- dotnet00 2y agoBut unconditional support for Israel is a rare topic with mostly bipartisan agreement from the leadership class. The disagreement from the public is very likely more correlated with age than with the party someone supports.
- jcranmer 2y ago> Near half of the US population would throw an absolute fit. But a large chunk of the population is already throwing a fit, and given the spread in views among different age groups, that's a growing chunk of the population.
- tptacek 2y agoIf by this you mean they're throwing a fit over Israel and Gaza, no, I don't think polling bears this out at all. Even within the context of the schools themselves, protesters are small minorities of the students and faculty. A large chunk of the media is throwing a fit, to be sure! I think the best way to sum up public opinion from what we know given polling and on-the-ground numbers is that Americans just don't much care about this. We care. But as is so often the case, caring about this issue makes us the weird ones.
- lupusreal 2y agoThe situation is ripe for a new political party that isn't wed to zionism. Opposition to zionism is growing on both the left and the right, particularly among young people, but neither had a party to represent this.
- Qwertious 2y agoI'm hoping that the last year or so will finally deliver a replacement for American FPTP - the Republicans are split between RINOs and MAGA devouts, and the democrats are split too between the centrist and progressives too. I don't know if it'll actually happen, but this is probably the most likely path towards it, if there is one.
- nebula8804 2y agoThe RINOs are moving towards the welcoming arms of Democrats and the "progressives" don't have a home anywhere as they are barely even tolerated in the Democratic party.
- octopoc 2y agoNormally you'd think at least one of the parties would adapt to appeal to the younger generations. Unfortunately I think there is some truth to the idea that Israeli influence is very strong in D.C., so neither party has so much as offered an olive branch to the young.
- ars 2y ago
- emmelaich 2y agoI think a lot of fundamentalist Christians are actually anti-Jewish and anti-Israel. They're not the bloc you think they are.
- defrost 2y agoWhat propotion are so fundie they're pro-rapture and all in for war between Israel and elsewhere though?