<What's happened is that individual citizens who are Jewish have ceased to be excluded from the In Groups, in whatever sphere of influence they choose to pursue.>
But those individuals didn't gain access, they were excluded (because they were Jews, irrespective of any individual qualities), until the In Group adjusted their ideology, adjusted the consensus of group opinion. Which is ongoing.
The United States sits at the center of a series of concentric circles, each circle defining a different level of closeness. In 1956, Israel was a "tactical enemy", when the U.S. organized an oil embargo to force Israel to give back the Sinai to Egypt. In 1958, when U.S. soldiers entered Lebanon, Israel entered the outermost circle, and became a "temporary tactical ally". In the years since then, Israel has steadily moved inward, steadily moved closer to the U.S. The innermost circle is the AngloSphere, England and the English settler-colonies, permanent strategic allies. In the current war, Canada is neutral, and England looked wobbly for a while. Israel has been closer than those members of the AngloSphere. So, Israel is now closer than members of the innermost circle, which is why I don't think it's a stretch, to think of Israel as the 51st State. This relationship colors, and provides a background for, all relationships between Israelis and Americans (cultural, economic, etc.). |
