Emp:
First, good article. You state your point well. I disagree with it, but you state it well.
Now, I'm no expert on this, or anything, really, other than eating and "Star Trek", but it seems to me that you're missing a good part of the point here. It's not just Israel. There's an idealistic aspect to this, too.
Islam stands in opposition to just about everything the Western world is and does. We (most of us, at least) are Christian Infidels, and as such, in their stuck-in-the-11th-century eyes at least, deserve death. We are the Haves to their willing (and yet ridiculously angry about it) Have-nots.
The US, you might as well say, IS Western Civilization. We're rich, free, powerful and happy. Everything Islam hates and resents about the West, we're the pinnacle of it. Our support of Israel is just another excuse for them to hate and kill us.
They can make it appear as if we could end the War on Terror by simply withdrawing our supoort for Israel, but if you think that would end their hatred of us, and the violence, you're deluding yourself.
Look at the list in your article.....we've been fighting this war for well over 20 years. And that's just the actions directly or indirectly against America. The West as a whole has been in it for much longer. The incident at the Munich Olympics in 1972 leaps to mind.
No.....Islam wants war because it wants to dance on the corpse of Western Civilization. If I had to pick an ally in that war, that ally would definitely be Israel.
You know yourself....if the terrorist Muslim Orcs came riding down your street on their Wargs, and the only thing between you and obliteration at the clawed hand of some raghead Murderer for Allah was a strong, well-trained, well-armed Israeli soldier, you'd be squealing "Save me, Mr. Jewman! Save me!"
Of course, later, after he'd killed all of them to save your Jew-hating hide, you'd then severely diss him for not throwing a leaflet or two at them, warning them in which direction he was firing and giving them a chance to get away to fight again later. But then, even if he did, you'd probably diss him for that, too, and say he was stupid for doing so.
A bigger conflict is coming. Time to choose up sides. Time to choose our friends. Israel, for all their supposed faults, is about the only civilized (read: Westernized) nation that hasn't lost the will, or forgotten how, to fight for itself. They'd be my First Round Draft pick.