[Torrere]

I don't know if the state of Israel would have survived without US funding. I do know that if it had, it would be radically different. Maybe they would have an incentive to be at peace.

Should the state of Israel be there? Sure, the Jews were driven out by the Romans a few thousand years ago, but did that make it right to drive out seven hundred and fifty thousand Palestinians from their traditional home? Does having a few thousand years of history to complain about mean that you can shove other people around? Was it just for the Puritans to drive the Native Americans out of their territory just because they'd faced persecution in England?

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Quzah: Recent history probably has more to do with it than religion - I think religion is the means of persuading a people to go to war, than the actual cause (I cite "God Bless America").

I think that it definitely wouldn't be such an acute problem if the US wasn't funding Israel. Without all the US money, they might have incentive to seek peace (I don't think the Israeli leaders want to seek peace right now. If they keep fighting they might get more money from the US and more territory from the Palestinians). Even if they didn't seek peace, they'd have less funding for their retaliation, and their soldiers might face more risk.

Of course, they might be showing a more civilized face (tear gas and rubber bullets) now than they would if the US were to withdraw support.