The Gaza rampage earlier this year continued the pattern of uncritical U.S. (and to a lesser extent European) support for Israel's illegal use of force. It also spurred public debate on the same issues that the U.S. Congress was unwilling to address during Israel's 2006 "summer war" on Lebanon. Why, for example, is Israel not held accountable under international law for its countless war crimes? Why does Israel suffer no consequences for being the only state in the Middle East region outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and known to possess nuclear weapons, while Iran and Syria are harangued and threatened over their entirely legal civilian nuclear programs under the Non-Proliferation Treaty? Why do U.S. policymakers align with Israel in asserting a non-existent threat to U.S. interests from a future nuclear-armed Iran, yet continue to resist calls by governments around the world for a nuclear weapons-free Middle East? Is it the "Israel lobby" and its rhetoric equating the enemies of Israel with anti-Semitism that prevents Congress from debating these issues? Examining Israel's recent behavior and the nature of the Israel-U.S. relationship may help shed light on these questions.
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