Israeli writer and journalist Arkady Mazin said that America needs an open and honest discussion about why it continues to transfer billions of dollars from American taxpayers to Israel, a rich and developed country that routinely violates human rights on a large scale without any accountability.
Mazin stated - in an article in the Israeli Haaretz newspaper - that individuals should not support the regime of their country and its actions unconditionally, a principle that also applies to international relations, as no country should continue to provide its support to another country regardless of its actions The latter, otherwise it would be an "immoral" act.
The writer, who was born in the former Soviet Union before immigrating to Israel in the early 1990s, believes that this "absurd principle" is actually the cornerstone of US-Israeli relations today, and associates of both the Democratic and Republican parties in Congress are proud of it.
Mazin adds that this unconditional support is the result of decades of active work by pro-Israel lobby groups, but things were not always that way in the past, as successive Democratic and Republican administrations were cautious enough in their relationship with Tel Aviv and set conditions in exchange for their support, threatening to withdraw it. If these terms are violated.
However, Israel now - after 30 years of settlement expansion and ignoring international law and human rights violations - is apparently not concerned about this matter, in light of the transformation of the generous and unconditional American support into a mainstay of US foreign policy on both parties.
Mazin believes that this bewildering situation not only gives legitimacy to Israel's indefensible practices and does not discourage it from changing its course, but also turns into "unconditional love" that undermines the moral authority of the United States, which had already reached its nadir under a short but destructive rule with the former president. Donald Trump.
Honest discussion
He suggests an open and honest discussion, separate from the influence of lobbyists and disingenuous accusations of anti-Semitism, about whether it is reasonable to continue channeling US taxpayer money into a country that routinely violates human rights.
And he confirms that many American Jews associated with Democrats are ready for this debate, after many of them gave up their steadfast support for Israel due to their failure to reconcile the requirements of this support with their liberal values, which is the same approach that American voters should adopt.
It is also expected that President Joe Biden's administration will be able to raise the challenge of amending this relationship, given the decisive and bold positions he has shown and the explicit interest in protecting human rights considerations, despite him and his deputy, Kamala Harris, were the most supportive Democratic presidential candidates for Israel in 2020.