This is true, but it is irrelevant to a discussion of whether Israel is violating democratic principles. If the U.S. is to continue to grant Israel the largest portion of its foreign aid, we ought to assess the strength of its commitment to democracy.

Most believe that the commitment is still pretty strong. That's why Israel still deserves our support. It has nothing to do with Israel's being Jewish. As Israel's commitment to democracy becomes weaker, America's commitment to Israel must be reduced correspondingly.

THIS is a terrifying prospect for American Zealots, who want their country to stand behind the Jewish state no matter how grievously it sins. As Israel becomes less democratic, it deprives the Zealots of the ability to pretend that their support for Israel is anything more than their support for a Jewish state.

When they see that their pretension is in jeopardy, they become irrational. Some delude themselves. Some rationalize. And some accuse all of Israel's critics of anti-Semitism.

A recent letter to The Crimson attacked a proposed conference on military ties between Israel and South Africa by citing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said that criticism of Israel is sometimes a disguise for anti-Semitism.

Leave aside for the moment the issue of how King, who was killed just as the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza began, would have reacted to the oppression of the Palestinian people. What infuriates me is the letter's implication that anyone who criticizes the Jewish state must be motivated by hatred of Jews. Some other letters to The Crimson have even attacked Jewish critics of Israel as anti-Semites.

OBVIOUSLY, support for Israel among American Jews is strong and deeply-rooted. How many kids in Hebrew school have discussed which side they would choose in a hypothetical war between the U.S. and Israel?

But when American Jews' enthusiasm for the Jewish state exceeds their enthusiasm for Israeli democracy, they do a disservice to both Israel and democracy. When American Jews fail to take a critical stance toward human rights violations in Israel, they squander the support of non-Zionists in the U.S. who are potential friends of Israel.

Instead of acting as sympathetic critics and trying to keep Israel on the straight and narrow, the Zealots are busy apologizing for actions that non Zionist Americans can never condone.

In the long run, as the oil-producing gulf states become more geopolitically important and the relative importance of Israel declines, friends of Israel will have only one card to play when soliciting aid from the U.S. That card is political democracy and respect for human rights. Jews should be pressuring Israel to guard that card scrupulously, or they could find that they are Israel's only remaining friends.