re: Why do so many Americans feel we have to always aid israel?

The American Jews have done a great job romanticizing their frontier struggle and linking it to America’s (which is not a stretch). This has been done through books, movies and journalism. Start with Charlton Heston in Exodus, for example.

A second factor is that a lot of American Christians believe that in order to get the Second Coming of Christ, Israel must succeed. (I’m no expert on that so I might have that screwed up.)

Even though I understand all of that, I am part of a third set of Israel supporters whose support is due to Israel being civilized moderns arrayed against barbarians. I am in favor of wresting control of the American government from Israel but continuing to support them in their struggle against religious autocrats.

So you can see it’s complicated.