Why Israel's Relationship to the US Is So Vital | David M. Friedman | INTERNATIONAL | Rubin Report

Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks to former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David M. Friedman about the significance of various holy sites such as the Dome of the Rock, the Temple Mount, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; the real story behind Donald Trump’s plan to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem; how the Abraham Accords were achieved; and much more.

0:00 Intro
1:31 Israel and Jewish History
6:09 Behind Being Israel's U.S. Ambassador
13:51 What Can We Learn from Israel?

What is the current state of the international political economy? Is US foreign policy damaging international politics? We are more aware than ever of international news stories and the effect of our foreign affairs, but do we truly understand the perspectives of our global neighbors? Listen to a variety of international perspectives on a wide array of topics concerning world news and get to know how your global neighbors think with this playlist:

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All art on the set are original works by Caylin Rose Janet.

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David M. Friedman
Former US Ambassador to Israel

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[jenniferwolf]

Another great American Jewish leader who loves humanity.

[mrk]

Happy to see you cover Israel and visit as well.

[merav]

God bless Israel! Beautiful place, beautiful people!

[celiaweaver]

Great interview.... I learned SO MUCH👆🙏

[shelvikartaatmaja]

I learned so much from this interview !! Tx

[kekesam]

Amazing guest! Intelligent, decent, a man of integrity! When I listen to him, I always wonder how he keeps his cool when so much injustice is done to Israel by haters of both sides in US and jihadis at home.

[_Keith_]

Great playlist, Dave. Thanks for visiting both Israel and Hungary. ...Makes me wonder about other destinations you could consider. Hit up Dubai and talk about taxes, crypto, and quality of living? Go to Egypt and show us some hieroglyphs? I don't know, I like this traveling Rubin thing.

[vanguardian]

Strong borders and cultural homogeny NOW.

[twistedneck]

Meaning.. a sense of purpose on this earth. that is so damn important. take responsibility for yourself.. find a meaning in life and live for it.

[AlizBodo]

Got a 🇭🇺 subscriber 😉 (who lives in the 🇬🇧)

[bellanegrin]

Very good interview. Yes, I hope you both get to do this again.

[danielg]

I lived in Israel for a while and I do think the US and Israel benefit considerably from this relationship, and could stand to benefit more.

The benefits that Israel derives from this relationship are self-evident.

The benefits the US derives, I think are less apparent but also significant:
1) A stalwart US ally in the most dangerous and volatile region in the world. Not only an alliance based on political interests, but also common values (e.g., individual freedom / rights, human rights, women's rights, LGBT rights, etc.). Israel is (becoming) more religious and socially conservative than the US, but is still a true liberal democracy in the most illiberal part of the world.
2) Sharing of military intelligence.
3) Israeli-led companies generate thousands of jobs and tens of billions of dollars in economic activity in the US
4) The US' financial aid to Israel - often in the form of military aid with significant strings attached - gives the US significant leverage over Israeli foreign policy (i.e., keeps Israel from selling weapons to Russia, China, etc).

I think many people - i.e., isolationists - are quick to ask: 1) Why should I care about the Middle East? and 2) Why should US "money" go to foreign countries? For the second question, see point #4. For the first question, remember Al Qaida? ISIS? Bin Laden? Like it or not, the Middle East is filled with radical groups / governments. Would you want groups like Al Qaida or Hizbullah to gain access to nuclear weapons or long-range missiles? What do you think would happen to Europe (the US' #1 or #2 largest trading partner) if, say, Egypt - a country with >100 million - were to collapse? What would happen if Iranian-backed Houthis blocked access to the Suez Canal? What happens if war broke out in the Middle East and the cost of oil quadrupled? And what happens if the US retreats from the Middle East and another power, say China, were to fill the vacuum? How can anyone with a functioning brain cell look at any of this and still think that isolationism is a good thing? (and note - being opposed to isolationism does not make one a 'neocon')

[danarchism-dissident]

TLDR:

It aint... my freedoms are not in a desert 10, 000 miles away.

[Namesi]

Israel has the best dancers! Google "Dancing Israelis" to learn more!

[vlada]

Yes, the real heart of American politics, beholden to foreign powers and interests similar to how ex colonies are.

[mickeymickey]

Vital to you, not to us. Most 1 sided relationship in history.

[questioneverything]

Our representatives care more about Israel than they do for America or American taxpayers. Why?

[barryashenhurst]

Ask him about the Goldstone Report and why it's never been released.

[timothystinson]

Israel has nuclear capabilities, so why don't they take care of themselves.?

[spark]

Because they would be finished without US arms.