FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Israel would never have survived without Uncle Sam

Israel would never have survived without Uncle Sam

Re: “How a tiny, young nation used its brains to outwit enemies”, Have Your Say, March 12.

Andy Leitner extols the virtues of the Israeli state, proclaiming that not only has it survived against all odds, but it has prospered since its founding in 1948. For evidence, he points out that Israel is a technological powerhouse and has produced no less than 12 Nobel Prize winners. 
However, things are not as rosy as Mr Leitner makes them appear.
Since its inception, Israel has been given weapons and funding by the US right wing. Leitner can brag all he wants about how smart Israelis are, but the fact remains that Israel could not exist without US backing. Members of the far right in the US believe that the existence of a Jewish state is a necessary precondition for the second coming of Christ, so they support this nation.
Also, the writer neglects the contributions that Arabs have made to the Jewish state, having lived in Israel from the start and usually composing far more than the 20 per cent of the population they now do.
Further, Robin Grant noted in his March 13 letter that almost 130 UK citizens have won the Nobel prize. When you consider that the UK has a population less than 10 times bigger than Israel’s, the latter’s achievements do not look so special.
It should also be pointed out that Israel severely lags behind its competitors in certain areas. 
None of this in any way detracts from the amazing achievements that Israeli citizens have contributed to the world. Indeed, the Jews as a whole have won hundreds of Noble Prizes! 
Nonetheless, the fact remains that, no matter how smart the Jews have been, Israel still could not exist without the tacit support of Uncle Sam. And in the most important game – life – the Israelis have proven to be woefully inept. 
Paul

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