Hi machine,

Allow me to try and bring you up to speed on what appears to be a very confusing issue. You said,

>"Sometimes I worry that we are giving Israel more support than they deserve."

Not to worry. The US along with the UN joined in the founding of the Jewish state after WWII partly in recognition of the horrors of the holocaust. We have been tied together in spirit and mutual interest in the creation of a democratic state in an autocratic area since the founding of the Israeli state.

>" Jews were enslaved by Egypt thousands of years ago, massacred by Nazis during WWII, but that does not mean that they have the moral high ground."

The "moral high ground" the Israelis have is their insistance on having the right to exist. This right has been challenged since before their founding in 1947. This moral high ground has sustained the Israelis from that time to this.

>" There are many other peoples that have suffered like them, and worse."

Sorry, you have lost me here. The only relevant point is the world gives current recognition to the injustices performed on the Jews and is in a position to do something about.

Further, the Jews have taken the position that they will not again be willing victims for injustice.

>" They are not unique."

Actually they are. Moreover they are an affirmative role model for oppressed people to rise up and protect themselves and not allow the oppression to grind them under the heels of their tormentors ever again.

>" The fact that the Christian religion is derived from Jewish history makes me wonder if we are giving them too much support. Does the founding religion of Western society make us subservient to Israeli policy?"

The Koran is considered by Islam to be a continuation of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments and the lessons of the Bible make up part of the Sunna.

>"..... It is pure racism with religious justification."

The justification in non-racist--more correctly non-ethnic--as both parties are Semetic peoples. As pointed out above there is no religious justification as the Bible is significant for both religions as well as Western Christianity.

>" So far I haven't seen any effort at peace by the Israelis, only foreign officials attempting to convince them to talk. Right now I don't think we should support them."

Israel has offered peace initiatives time after time and been rejected by Arafat. Right now Israel is being assaulted by criminals with bombs strapped to their bodies and AK-47 weilding thugs on a daily basis.

I have been at Darkau, seen the pictures from Bergen-Belsen and Auswitch. I sincerely think it is our own best interests to support them.

I hope this gives some perspective to you thinking.

Publius