Israeli-American relations...

[Dan Jizzenberry]

Some more reasons the U.S. supports Israel...

(1) Cold war fears helped initiate co-operation between Israel and the U.S. 
Specifically, the American fear of allowing the Soviets to get their long 
sought after warm water port. This would have, in turn, allowed the Soviets 
to gain a foothold in the middle east, something that happened anyway due to 
America's somewhat lopsided relationship with Israel and the surrounding 
Arab states. Israel was also an  important partner in America's fight 
against both fundamentalists and hardcore nationalists such as Khomeini, 
Nasir, etc.
(2) Jewish political pressure in the U.S. One of the reasons Truman 
recognized Israel was because of their importance as a voting bloc. Check 
out "Truman, the Jewish Vote, and the Creation of Israel" by John Snetsinger 
(Stanford CA, 1974). Snetsinger points out that a less favorable approach to 
Israel would have resulted in a Dewey victory (30,000 Jewish votes in 5 key 
states was the difference between a Truman victory and a Truman defeat). 
Convincing yet one-sided, because he doesn't mention any of the other 
factors mentioned here. Snetsinger's analysis, in other words, is entirely 
devoted to domestic political pressures and nothing else.
(3) One of the preconditions for the Rapture to come, according to 
evangelical christians, is the return of Jews to their homeland (look up 
Dispensationalism on the internet for a more thorough explanation). Truman 
knew this and admitted that it was an important factor in his decision to 
recognize Israel. One of the earliest supporters for the creation of a 
Jewish state (before even Theodore Herzl) was the Methodist pastor William 
Blackstone. Check out also Moshe Davis et al. "Christian Protagonists for 
Jewish Restoration" (New York,1977). Contrary to popular opinion, most 
evangelical sects are not anti-semitic and have been fervent supporters of a 
Jewish homeland.
(4) Oil. Israel is one of the few middle eastern countries that is actually 
a friend of the U.S. It is therefore strategically important w/r/t 
protecting America's access to oil. This is the main reason America gets 
involved in the middle east whenever conflict arises (e.g. Israel v. 
Palestine; Iraq v. Iran; Iraq v. Kuwait; and pretty soon Iran v. 
Afghanistan, mark my words). The fight against the Soviet Union, 
fundamentalist regimes, and nationalist regimes are also tied up with oil 
(see #1).
(5) They're the only democracy in the Middle-East (even though most 
democracies insist on the separation of church and state). Their socialist 
sensibilities offended some policy planners in the U.S. (and not a few 
conservative congressman) but not enough to threaten their relationship with 
America. Many politicians actually feared that Israel's socialist POV would 
lead to an alliance with the Soviet Union. These fears were heightened when 
the Soviets ostensibly agreed to the UN partition of Palesitine (they were 
the first state to recognize Israel de jure). Nothing came of it though 
because Russia (even Soviet Russia, though to a lesser extent) didn't treat 
its Jews very well.
(6) And as "no fun" mentioned, humanitarian considerations. Specifically, 
America's atrocious behavior before and during WWII w/r/t Jewish persecution 
in Europe (e.g. Roosevelt's policies towards jewish refugees). Guilt over 
the Holocaust cannot be downplayed in any discussion on the state of Israel.

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