Lebanese dead ran well over a thousand — mostly civilians — not to mention the huge damage inflicted on their economy.

“Israel is in peril,” they scream. “Something must be done.”

Fine, move there and take up arms. Don’t try to manipulate others into sacrificing their lives for a Jewish state. Do it yourselves.

But of course, most diaspora Jewish nationalist Zionists like the comforts and easy living of America. And they like their carefully cultivated, widely broadcast image of modern day prophets and patriarchs and tortured, moral men of conscience oh-so worried about the well-being of their fellow Jews in Israel. But they also feel guilt about their cowardice and so they attempt to compensate by lobbying America on behalf of Israel and coming up with elaborate, highly rationalized schemes to introduce American troops into the Middle East as bodyguards for Zionism and enablers of Zionist expansionism.

Phil hints at this cowardice by noting how few Jews serve in the US armed forces, even though 82% of Jews describe themselves as supporters of Israel. link to standwithus.com

What all of this seems to and up to is a disconnect from reality by diaspora Jewish nationalists that encourages ever greater rhetorical bravado to compensate for their cowardice, and ever more desperate stabs at pushing the US into a World War against Islamofascism, the latest example being the full-court press by organized US Jewish groups for an American bombing campaign against Iran. The more "threatened" Israel seems, the more their cowardice is magnified, and the louder there demands become for America to "do something!"

I have never seen a poll done, but I would bet that Israelis who have emigrated to the US are far less militant in their demands for support for Israel, and far less interested in pushing wars for Zionism, because they understand that if that is their vision, they should return to Israel and wage the wars themselves.

The problem is pampered, insular Jewish-American princes and princesses who think their spoiled-brat demands should be acted upon at the highest levels of government no matter how outrageous, unrealistic or destructive.

A sometimes wonder if the solution to the most tenacious anti-democratic Zionist ideologues (guys like Pipes, Horowitz, Medved, Podhoretz et al) bent on overthrowing the US government on behalf of Zionism is to deport them to Israel the way Communist ideologues like Emma Goldman were deported to the Soviet Union.

Only after Goldman saw Communism in action did she moderate her views. Perhaps if the neocons were forced to serve in the IDF for a few years, they wouldn’t be so gung-ho either.

Tony Judt

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?filmID=601

Where are the other "progressive Zionists"? MuzzleWatch, Richard Silverstein and others are trying hard but it's not enough, and they're primarily aimed at the Jewish community.

Dan Fleshler, don't you too feel any responsibility toward your gentile neighbors? They don't need you to help them think about Palestine–they can handle that on their own. They need you to tell them about what they CAN'T understand on their own–the mentality behind the lobby.

Phil never served in the military either. He was too smart to, also too lucky, as the draft ended just before he was eligible.

I regard most that don't serve in the military as SMART.

We need a military (not nearly as large or as imposing as we have), and those that do so out of a sense of community service, deserve the world's respect.

If only a very small portion of Jewish adults served in the American professional army, that is wonderful. It is a great shame that any more than a small number should anywhere.

"Disloyalty". Are you hearing yourself Phil?

Aside from the exagerated response of Pipes, the reasoning of confidence that Israel would not be left high and dry, is real.

Confidence.

Children for example thrive when they are confident that they will be cared for. Most naturally then develop into ethical human beings.

A loved spouse thrives when they are confident that they will be cared for.

Its most often the deprived that end up cruel and violent.

Such confidence engenders peace and goodness.

If the question is "how can we improve the lives of Palestinians?" lets ASK that question already, and pursue it in earnest.

Not the rhetoric, the reality.

I didn't. Phil didn't. If he had children, I pray that his children wouldn't. I pray that my children don't. (Its unlikely, they have other options thankfully excepting the prospect of the draft.)

http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2007/05/zionism_was_onc.html