Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is like the drunken friend demanding the car keys as he staggers toward his own destruction and that of others — a condition that requires the United States to intervene to stop his dangerous and reckless behavior, writes Alon Ben-Meir.
By Alon Ben-Meir
No one can deny the close, abiding and unparalleled friendship between the United States and Israel. This tight bond has served both countries well, especially Israel, which has benefitted politically, economically and militarily from the U.S.’s unwavering support, helping Israel to become a powerhouse second to none in the Middle East.
It appears, though, that this unequivocal American support and friendship enabled Israel to become more entrenched in the West Bank by building and expanding the settlements and expropriating Palestinian land, thereby making the prospect of achieving peace ever more remote. Regardless of the wars and violent conflicts sweeping the region since Israel’s inception, the U.S. maintained a steady hand in its support of Israel, even at the expense of its own strategic interests in the area.
President Barack Obama holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in the Oval Office, Oct 1, 2014. The meeting was described as chilly, reflecting the strained relationship between the two leaders. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Friendship, after all, whether between countries or individuals, carries with it a moral responsibility and obligation to lend aid, advice, resources and protection as the case may warrant. An ethical difficulty arises, however, when one realizes that instead of helping a friend, one is in fact allowing, or enabling, that friend to harm himself.
To use a simple analogy, if my friend is addicted to drugs, there quickly comes a point where readily giving him money (in the Israeli-U.S. situation, providing Israel with military aid, economic assistance and especially political cover) is directly contributing to the continuation of this devastating habit.
It is precisely in the name of friendship that I must refuse to give that which my friend so ardently desires. Such a policy of ‘tough love’ is…