LETTER: Israel holds the line

James Cunningham (Will Israel drag US down?, September 30) seems convinced that the US should cut ties with Israel due to the lack of a need for Middle Eastern oil, while simultaneously fearing that the conflict will disrupt US-Arabic relations.

If the US no longer needs to worry about pleasing Arab oil suppliers, why should it care about alienating them in favour of its cultural and morally superior allies in Israel? The argument seems like it is missing quite a few of its premises.

In addition, many of the Arab Gulf states want to be friends with Israel. The Abraham Accords, normalisation and the fact that it was Jordan and Saudi Arabia that helped intercept Iranian rocket and drone strikes, points to the fact that there are many in the Arab world who are sick of the lies pushed by opportunists and anti-Semites.

They want a peaceful and profitable dispensation. Not more religious war waged by terrorist groups and their theocratic benefactors.

Cunningham seems to struggle with the notion that the US may be supporting Israel for more than just oil. An absurd notion, as Israel is not a significant oil producer. Rather, the US supports Israel as an ideological ally. It is the only true democracy in the Middle East, a supporter of human rights and a bulwark against global terror. Just as Ukraine stands against the tide of Russian imperialism, Israel stands at the front line against many radical groups that abhor non-Islamic civilisation.

The US understands that these radical groups won’t stop after destroying Israel. They will only be emboldened to attack deeper into the hearts of Europe, Africa and the Americas. But so long as Israel holds the lines there can be peace on the home front. And that is worth every bit of aid the US sends to the embattled Jewish state.

Nicholas Woode-Smith
Cape Town

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