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I’m not talking about Biden going there as VP, which is clearly part
of US foreign policy. I’m talking about trips that are not part of
policy, more like meet-and-greet/networking affairs. And it’s not just
congressmen. It’s also various lobbyists, and lawyers connected with
federal and state government departments, etc.

This used to be a mainly Democratic party phenomenon, but over the
last couple of decades it’s increasingly being done by Republicans also,
especially the neocons and the evangelicals.

The thing that confuses me is this: Why?

Our trade with Israel is minor, compared to our trade with many
other countries. Israel is not nearby. It’s not part of NATO. Etc, etc,
etc. We’re stuck in no-win wars in the Middle East, but Israel can’t
help us there. In fact, our relationship with Israel probably harms us
more than it helps us, in that regard.

We do have poor relations with some of the people Israel has a
quarrel with, but one of the reasons for that is that we get lumped in
with Israel because we provide cover for their policies. We’re not the
ones grabbing Palestinian land, the Israelis are. But our support for
Israel lumps us in with them and creates enemies for us. That, by the
way, was why Israel announced that they’re building 1,600 new
residential units on confiscated Palestinian land DURING Biden’s trip.
Th... >>>