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From: steinber@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU (Louis Steinberg)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Middle East, Oil and the costs of Militarism
Message-ID: <4156@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Mon, 4-Nov-85 15:51:25 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.4156
Posted: Mon Nov  4 15:51:25 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 5-Nov-85 07:26:16 EST
References: <460@mhuxm.UUCP> <740@whuxl.UUCP> <10822@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <232@cornell.UUCP>
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
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Xref: linus net.politics:11153 net.religion.jewish:2206

>> mcgeer@ucbvax.UUCP (Rick McGeer):
>>(1) Israel is worth defending because it is the only Western nation in the
>>Mideast, and (with the possible exception of Egypt) is the only nation in the
>>area which professes the ideals of individual liberty and human dignity that
>>we hold dear, not because of some spurious link to mideast oil.
> 
> [...] if you look at what is happening in
>the West Bank, you will realize that the "ideals of individual liberty
>and human dignity" are being completely disregarded, [...]
> 
> 				Amr El Abbadi

In fact, **even on the West Bank** there is more political and
personal freedom than in most Arab countries.  There is, for instance,
more freedom of the press and of speech.  Why does Israeli government
allow West Bank newspapers to be published that tell it to go to hell,
when no Arab government allows such things?  Precisely because the
Israeli culture does profess the ideal of a free press, and so the
Israelis will allow freedom of the press unless they feel they have a
good reason not to.  We can argue whether the specific restrictions
they put on are indeed justified by the  circumstances, but we must
not miss the point that for the Israeli culture, to restrict freedom
of the press, even in occupied territory, needs a substantial excuse.
This is not the case in any other Mid-East country, and it is this
kind of difference that McGeer is pointing to in his original posting.

No, Israel is not perfect, but neither is the United States.  What matters
is that on issues like personal and political freedom Israel is
in the same general league as the United States, and no other country
in the region is even close.  If you believe the US should support
the existence and spread of these freedoms, either for reasons of
morality or of self-interest, then of course the US should support Israel.