>Those of us who are not happy with "It's the power of AIPAC"
>explanation -- including yours truly -- are obligated to provide a
>credible alternative explanation, rather than a simple assertion that
>Israel serves US military interests; absent a good explanation, it's
>no wonder many gravitate toward a default explanation (= AIPAC).
I think US support for Israel is multi-dimensional. First there are the two positive reasons for support: There is the historical idealistic support for a Jewish homeland as recompense for global indifference to the Holocaust; there is a similar support for it as a democratic country amidst monarchies and dictatorships.
One wing of US military interests does like have a client state completely dependent on the US as an ally in the region; the Christian fundamentalists like Israel as a fulfillment of prophecy in Revelations; and there is the general pluralistic role of the Jews as a voting bloc.
No one element probably decides the issue but the convergence of all of them keeps support of Israel moderately steady.
-- Nathan newman