I'm afraid Hounshell is right about this.

The foundation of Israel's support among Americans is the large number of people who admire Israel and think of it as a friend of the United States, not the small number of people to whom it matters greatly who governs what part of the West Bank of the Jordan River. Such public debate about the Middle East as does take place here, though, is dominated by people for whom few subjects in the whole field of foreign affairs are more important than who wins the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.

This is bound to lead to an eventual rift between the devout believers in other people's causes and the great majority of Americans, who care most about their own. Since American policy toward the Middle East involves very substantial material support for Israel it is the Israeli side that will end up being most discomfited as this rift develops. Having no animus myself toward Israel, I do not look forward to this future with any relish. However, successive Israeli governments have made their bed by appeasing the settler lobby, which includes the least reasonable people in Israeli politics. They have acted as though reflexive support by a superpower for policies of a much smaller country that do not advance the superpower's interests in any way is a natural and permanent state of affairs. When they learn otherwise it may come as a disappointment to the Israeli political leadership, but it should not come as a surprise.

it is realy true?
Watch The Vampire Diaries

Maybe things have to be discussed more and considering other peoples thoughts about it...http://watchsupernatural.biz

Setting aside the anti-semitism charges for a sec, I've got to take issue with the characterization of Sullivan as having "spent much of 2008 pumping up the ludicrous, but Web-driven Ron Paul candidacy."

Andrew Sullivan was probably the single biggest Obama supporter on the entire internet. He had kind words for Paul vis-a-vis the other clowns (er, candidates) on the Republican side, but he was (and still is ) all in for Obama.

I think he deserves a credit than the opportunist brush with which he is painted here suggests. Sure he went from supporter to critic of Bush's War on Terror -- but given the extent to which the selling of it (BWOT, that is) was based on utter mendacity, more power to him.

I have some reservations about two questions not unrelated to the topic of a critic of Israel being called anti-Semitic:

1. Why should Americans have any interest in rebuilding the support for Israel that existed during Bill Clinton's time, when we know from Clinton's peacemakers about how unproductive that was ("Israel's lawyer" and all that)? Good riddance to that support, let's support a fair two-state solution instead, not one side of the conflict. The "right to exist" of Israel is not threatened by Americans, the emphasis now needs to be on the "right to exist" of Palestine. The last decade should have taught Americans a lesson about letting Middle East policy being influenced by Israel's apologists in America (as your excellent blogger Stephen Walt pointed re: Tony Blair's testimony in the Chilcot Inquiry).

2. To describe Shimon Peres, under whom settlement expansion massively increased, as having made "good-faith efforts" towards peace is not a very reality-based statement.

"Andrew should be much more careful in criticizing Israel."

What an odd thing to say. "Being careful" is generally recommended when a wrong action can result in harm. Are you suggesting that an American being critical of Israel can face negative consequences? Because we are constantly told that is not the case, so long as we ignore incidents like Chas Freeman not being allowed to work for Obama due to his critical comments about Israeli conduct.

Beside, there is clear distinction between what can be said by pundits in online forums, and what can be said on TV or done by policymakers. Thankfully, due to the efforts of men like Walt & Mearsheimer, it is becoming possible to have a more wide-ranging debate about the Middle East. But that debate is largely relegated to blogs. Occasionally, a critique of Israel may be published in the NY Times.

But forget about the cable "news" networks or ABC, CBS, or NBC airing anything that might question the American support for Israel. Congress is a no-hope area as far as new viewpoints are concerned. And Obama has not shown much willingness to take on Israel.

Israel is just one of many headaches for the U.S. in the Middle East. The Saudi royal family is not going to win a charm contest. But you see a lot more criticism of Saudi Arabia in the American press, and one is not branded as an anti-Arab bigot for making rightful criticisms.

"His worldview seems to be determined not by deep, core beliefs, but by an innate sense of what his audience wants to read at any given moment. He's wildly successful as a blogger in part because he shifts with the political winds "

This is the real issue and is more damning than any charge of bias against Israel could ever be. This is the reason that Sullivan as become more of a demagogue, than the public intellectual he aspires to be. He just throws out red meat and the consequences be damned.

I just wanted to add a few comments. To me there is no question and never has been about who owns the land. All the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel, given to them by G-d, through Isaac. End of problematic discussion. The idea of land for peace is unfounded. This tactic has never worked in all of history, and will not work now. The only way it "worked" in past history, is when the enemy came in and took over everything, the people who remained, became submissive to their new owners. By the grace of G-d this will never happen in Israel. If american's are changing their minds in favor of a two-state solution, they and their leadership are just plain wrong. The scripture says they who bless Israel will be blessed, they who curse Israel will be cursed. America is under an umbrella of protection from G-d, for now, because we still side with Israel, if that ever really changes, may G-d help us all for no one else will be able to. This American will back Israel 100%. There is no place for anti-semitism thought or reasoning any longer. It simply cannot be tolerated.
We are commanded in the Holy Scriptures to Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. So I'll keep doing as I have been commanded, and leave the trash in the dustbin where it belongs

Quote: "Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party may have their fingers on the pulse of their public right now, but their agenda is not one that appeals to most Americans, who strongly support Israel's right to exist but have little interest in underwriting the permanent occupation of the West Bank."

It is now 40+ years since the Six Day War, and many decades too late for a return to 1967 borders. The Palestinians never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Too many bombings of schools and pizza parlors, too many rockets launched in the general direction of population centers, too many children's textbooks and cartoon programs with a "kill all Jews" agenda. And finally, or maybe firstly, there has to be some entity that can negotiate for the Palestinians; if Hamas will not accept what Fatah accepts then there can be no deals.

The American public does not care where the boundaries are drawn. But I think it approves, in general, the policies of the government of Israel, and has little or no sympathy for the Palestinians. Maybe as individuals, but not as a group or as a political entity. In fact, if asked whether the US should provide humanitarian aid to Palestine, I suspect a majority would say no; they might donate to a private charity, but they don't want public money going to groups that might siphon some off for terrorist activities.