Why Israel?

Senator John McCain says that now, more than ever, we should embrace the Jewish state.

A Strong and Loyal Ally

Updated August 9, 2006

As Israel fights on against Hezbollah militants, and the civilian death toll mounts in Lebanon, much of the world stands united -- in condemning the Israelis. America, almost alone, has stood by the Jewish state, Democrats and Republicans alike. To understand why, take a fresh look at an article written for Reader's Digest more than three years ago by Sen. John McCain. His explanation of our special allegiance to Israel is, if anything, even more relevant today.


"Suicide Bomber Blows Up Bus in Jerusalem, 20 Dead."

"Israelis Bulldoze Suspected Terror Hideouts in Gaza."

"Hamas Leader Vows More Attacks to Come."

We wake up to headlines like these almost every day. Imagine living them. Israelis and Palestinians inhabit a world that seems trapped in rage and violence, with no way out. For Israel, the troubles began with its birth in 1948; ever since, the Jewish state has been targeted by Middle East neighbors for annihilation.

But Israel has more than survived. It has flourished as the region's sole democracy, a dynamic and prosperous nation.

There has been one constant throughout Israel's existence: America's unyielding support. That commitment has come at a price. Our country is condemned by many in the Arab world for its close ties to Israel. Stop supporting the Israelis, they say, or Arab hatred of America will only grow -- and Americans won't find peace anywhere in the world.

You hear echoes of that refrain here at home. This past fall, candidates for the Presidency got into heated arguments over our Middle East policy. One suggested we shouldn't "take sides" in the dispute between Israel and her neighbors. Some critics go further. Why not scale back on our support to get rid of what some see as an albatross?

Without question, we are very generous to Israel: $720 million a year in economic aid and $2 billion in military aid is real money. And even Israel's strongest supporters in America don't agree with every policy pursued by the Israeli government. Yet, at the end of the day, I know what Israel stands for, and what its survival means to the world. I know why we care so deeply about the fate of this tiny nation, no bigger than Massachusetts.

Israel is a strong and loyal ally in a region of the world that is vital to us -- a region under siege by radical Islamists. But the more profound tie between our countries is a moral one. We are two democracies whose alliance is rooted in common values. Like our own Founding Fathers, Israel's founders understood that their mission rested on an idea: that the Jewish people would no longer live under the yoke of tyranny, discrimination and fear. Instead, they would raise their families in security and freedom in a land of their own.

No other people anywhere have suffered so much, for so long. After the Jews lost their original homeland to Roman conquerors, they spent two millennia living in exile, scattered across the globe. But they kept alive their dream of Israel, celebrating each Passover holiday with the prayer, "Next year in Jerusalem."

We all know how the persecution of the Jews culminated in Hitler's "Final Solution," which led to the massacre of six million Jewish men, women and children. The Holocaust underlined, in the starkest terms, the moral basis for Israel's founding.

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