Marco Rubio officially announced that anyone who criticizes Israel will NOT be granted a visa to enter the United States.
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You can say "fuck america" and they would still let you in, but "fuck Israel"? Straight to jail
No for real though it really does look like this. I don’t want to say the tail is wagging the dog, but the dog sure looks like it’s wagging.
Why is this? Why does the 51st state get protections the other 50 don’t? At both a population and a government level.
These aren’t really a structured argument or anything I’m just writing as I think of examples:
The US is more willing to assist Israel than itself, no money for relief after tornadoes and hurricanes but we make sure Israelis get free healthcare?
If the California National Guard had attacked the USS Liberty and killed a bunch of US troops, California would’ve faced more consequences than Israel did.
I can go on stage tomorrow and say “The United States is the most evil country in history, the Great Satan, the 4th reich, and must be destroyed with intense violence” and no one will give a fuck. I could advertise my talk beforehand, put up posters, rent out a hall on a college campus, wouldn’t have an issue. Say 10% as much about Israel and the cops will storm the auditorium, the college would blacklist me, and I’d be at risk of getting fired from my job.
Is it just “it’s afraid”? Is it the desperate flailing of a failing colony? No one cares if you say “Free Hawaii” because the powerful aren’t worried about Hawaii being freed?
Obviously the answer isn’t “Da evil Jewish cabal runs everything” but what is it and why does it look so much like it would if it was an evil cabal?
Isreal is the US's stronghold in the Middle East. It allows the US military to have North Africa, the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and so on all within striking distance of its aircraft. With this wide area of influence, the US can control shipping lanes, airspace, and natural resources in the region. Most of these resources are funneled into Europe (oil, heroin, lithium, cobalt, water, etc.). Western European capitalists can then rake in huge profits because nobody in the region can stop the US from stealing their shit.
Isreal exists so the Imperial Core doesn't have to do a D-Day/Normandy -style invasion anytime a group of people gets the idea to keep their nation's resources for themselves. They can squash any potential revolutions or labor movements without having to spend more resources than necessary.
Because of the looming threat of Israel's neighbors tossing them out, Israelis enjoy privileges and protections Americans don't. They want Israelis to stay in Isreal to guard it, not run back to Europe. Americans are under no such threat, so the US doesn't give a shit if there's suffering at home. It would be different if the USA's neighbors were trying to expel Americans out of North America and American minorities were engaged in armed resistance with help from foreign governments.
Is it just “it’s afraid”? Is it the desperate flailing of a failing colony? No one cares if you say “Free Hawaii” because the powerful aren’t worried about Hawaii being freed?
Yes, pretty much this.
Israel might actually fall relatively soon.
And because there are actual existential threats to Israel looming right now, the fascist's immune response is kicked into high gear specifically for it. The response to opposition is proportional to how much of a threat they think it poses. For example, Red Scares happen when the left has the strength and numbers to potentially harm the bourgeois rule and order. The international and domestic hatred of and opposition to Israel is frightening them, as it should. They're getting increasingly desperate to tamp it down.The US is more willing to assist Israel than itself, no money for relief after tornadoes and hurricanes but we make sure Israelis get free healthcare?
For the same reason active duty troops get free healthcare. All of this is explained by viewing Israel as an unsinkable Aircraft Carrier permanently parked right next to all of Amerikkk’s biggest enemies. They’re integral to the US oil empire and at this point the Empire has no choice but to funnel resources there despite worsening home conditions.
This would make more sense to me if Israel was in fact parked right next to America’s biggest enemies and not surrounded by its allies who are begging to be closer allies of Israel will just stop
Why do you need an “Unsinkable aircraft carrier” when you have Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia all full of US military bases and happy to work with us?
In practice we don’t even make much use of our military position in Israel, because it pisses off everyone when we do, so we use those bases in Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia way more.
Israel exists like aircraft carriers in the sense that their purpose is power projection and causing instability in a region to due US pressure. America thrives by exploiting crises, and they try their best to engineer them in advance, Israel is one tool in that.
This would make more sense to me if Israel was in fact parked right next to America’s biggest enemies and not surrounded by its allies who are begging to be closer allies of Israel will just stop
Exactly right, they’re driving these countries to align closer to US interests because essentially then Israel and by extension the US is less of a wildcard. Additionally, they’re located close enough to provide other strike options that may not be as easily possible by the other means available to the US military for targets such as Iran and Yemen
Why do you need an “Unsinkable aircraft carrier” when you have Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia all full of US military bases and happy to work with us?
Having a few contested military bases and some tenuous alliances is much worse than having a colonization project that depends on your support for its continued existence, there is much more leverage in that situation. Another point that isreal is armed with nukes and their stated use position is the Samson Option, something that plays a great role in keeping the middle east and europe aligned with us interests.
That’s not even getting into how Israel is tied into and vital to the Military Industrial Complex as both a large customer and testing ground for new technologies.
I’m probably not the best to be explaining this, lol.
There is an evil cabal, but it's just
My tl;Dr materialist analysis is the U.S. needs Israel to exist as-is to have just enough instability in the middle east to a) keep the "defence" industry working and b) prevent a united Arab bloc from fixing oil prices.
God forbid we wind down weapons manufacturing and wean ourselves off oil 🙃