Israel, Energy Policy, and a Conspiracy Theory

Ted Belman over at Israpundit reports on an investigative journalist named Dr. Francisco Gil-White who, writing from his website Hirhome.com, advances the theory that the American ruling elite secretly hates Israel and wants to destroy it.

Of course conspiracy theories are a dime a dozen, but Belman seems to hesitantly endorse Gil-White's conclusions, stating that the evidence actually seems quite solid. This has led to a very engaging discussion on the "Comments" section of Belman's post.

I believe, however, that Gil-White's conclusions are mistaken. He has indeed produced noteworthy evidence of U.S. efforts to oppose Israel, but we must remember that America's foremost priority (like that of any nation) is to act in its own interests. Supporting Israel certainly coincides with these interests given Israel's status as the Middle East's only true liberal democracy. But America also needs the region's oil and as such has been forced to placate Arab nations as well.

This delicate balancing act, in my opinion, better explains the zigzag nature of America's Israel policies. If anything, the momentum has tilted more in Israel's favor, as President Bush has shoved aside the old policy of appeasing Arab dictators in favor of a democracy-promoting approach. Of course, many hurdles still remain, as the U.S. economy continues to crave the black gold. But as we become more energy independent, OPEC's grip on us lessens.

We can help Israel, then, by working towards freedom from Middle Eastern oil, beginning with allowing drilling in Alaska, creating more domestic refineries, mining oil shale rock in Colorado, and transitioning some of our power needs to alternative energy sources. This, as I see it, will produce a much more favorable outcome than the one feared by Gil-White and Belman.