Opinion from the desk of the Editor:
I have written about this occurrence before…..and I still have a problem with it.
Back in the days following the end of the American Civil War, the president of the CSA, Jefferson Davis, was exiled from his own country for leading an uprising against the duly elected government of the United States of America…….and there have been occasions when Americans working as mercenaries or as they like to be called today security consultants, lost their citizenship because that fought in a foreign war that the Us was not involved in at the time……
I know you want to know where I am going with this, right?
It seems that in the most recent war on Gaza two Americans have been killed serving in the IDF………
Two Americans who were soldiers for the Israel Defense Forces were killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Stuart Steinberg confirmed the death of his son Max Steinberg, 24, to The Associated Press on Sunday. Steinberg, whose family lives in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley, was a sharpshooter for the Golani Brigade. He was one of 13 Israeli soldiers and 65 Palestinians killed in fighting Sunday during the first major ground battle in two weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier Sunday, the IDF said in a statement that Sgt. Nissim Sean Carmeli, 21, was killed in combat in the Gaza Strip. Carmeli was from South Padre Island, Texas, said Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Southwest Maya Kadosh. She said Carmeli moved to Israel four years ago and added that the consulate helped his family get a flight there Sunday.
Sorry for the families loss….but these men were Americans first that happen to have Israeli dual citizenship………Gaza is not an authorized war for the US and I do not give a crap how many citizenship these guys had……either they are Americans or Israeli….but in the time of war it should be American or they give up their citizenship and go Israeli full time…..both interests cannot be served by dual alliances…….if they feel the necessity to wear a uniform the US military would be glad to oblige them.
What would happen if I was an Iraqi-American and I was fighting in Iraq…..would I be allowed the honors and such that these people will be allowed? Of course not! I would be a terrorist and have NO rights in the US…..so should these people or anyone that chooses another country over their own.
This country needs to sack up! We are allowing too many breeches in our country in the name of “defending democracy”……..Israel is NO democracy…..elections do not a democracy make!
Dual citizenship is a bullshit policy that desperately needs revision.
I don’t think it’s outlandish for America to forbid American citizens from being members of another nation’s military or spy services. Dual citizen or not, “close ally” or not, It’s a very simple conflict of interest.
There are a lot of quasi-Israelis who play a “have-their-cake-and-eat-it-too” citizenship game. I can’t imagine they are universally loved by born & bred Israelis who don’t have the option of running back to America if things get too rough.
Thanx for the comment……I have ranted about this before……
Reblogged this on Carolina Mountain Blue and commented:
Normally, I’d agree with you but there’s two points where I beg to differ. The first is in reference to your phrase “Israel is no democracy”…correct me if I’m wrong here but last time I remember, Israel – for all of its’ warts – was one of the few, if not the only ‘liberal democracy’ in the Middle East, so to say that they are no democracy is a bit of an insult. The second point of disagreement is in regards to your belief that those Americans who decided – of their own volition – to serve in the IDF should be stripped of their American citizenship….just out of curiosity, who died and made you god of what constitutes American citizenship? By that rationale, Americans who served, for instance, in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade during the Spanish Civil War should’ve been stirpped of their citizenship…or does it only apply under certain circumstances? As for Israel & the current Gaza conflict…well, until Hamas and the rest of the Arab world recognizes Israel’s right-to-exist, as far as I’m concerned…Hamas (and the rest of Gaza) can go pound sand.
Democracy in name only….sounds better to the world that is letting them play the victim……special tags for Arabs, Knessett member that are Arab are left out of decision making, Arab area not covered with Iron Dome and there are few shelters for the minority, like I said an election does not a democracy make……The International Brigades were prosecuted what saved most from jail was they did not use their real names….Most Americans feel the way you do….and to them I say go to Gaza and see for yourself……that would be too easy and letting the media feed the dialogue is not the truth…..my service in the US Army has made me god, if you will…….so because Hamas is an ass all the Palestinian deaths are acceptable, right? If you want to serve in the IDF then by all means go knock your socks off….but I still say that you can only serve one country and if you are in the IDF you have chosen which country……it is that simple….PERIOD!