Portrait of Israelis...and secular settlers...

A brief collection of profiles of some example Israelis....from settler to secular.
Israelis: Portrait of a people in tense times | World news | The Observer

Perhaps the most interesting comment was how secular the settlements can be :
"Barkan is a mainly secular settlement. "It's very important to say that," says Natalie, "because people think once you cross the Green Line everyone is a religious fanatic. People don't know that a third of the [Jewish] population across the Green Line is secular."

What this suggests is that probably a significant section of settlers are so for economic reasons, taking advantage of the space and cheaper prices to better their lot. While they must still bear the moral responsibility for using such "stolen" land, the real blame lies with the government policies which must basically subsidize the settlements . I.E. many settlers are obviously manipulated by economics to bolster the settlement ideals of smaller factions. This might suggest that, since economic choices might underlie a large part of the settlement movement, it is not as intractable as it might otherwise be if based solely on fanatical beliefs.

The other interesting point was the study suggesting only 80% of Israelis believe in god. In a region beset by the results of religious fanaticism on both sides, lack of belief is grounds for hope!

Netanyahu keeps the war drums beating

While have no time for notions of 'Jewish conspiracy' it is still amazing, and real, the power the Israeli issue holds over US politics, as evidenced by the political participation at the recent Aipac meeting:
"More than half the members of the US Congress were in attendance, a reflection of Aipac's influence on Capitol Hill where it has been a driving force in pressing for stronger sanctions legislation against Iran and upping the rhetoric"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/06/netanyahu-iran-nuclear-weapons-israel
I personally think rather than any manipulation of the US by some shadowy 'lobby', or even that the 'Jewish' vote is a large and coherent enough bloc to be worth pandering to  to such an extent, the real reason that the Israeli issue has such a tenacious hold on US opinion and politics is somehow because its story, and what it is spun to represent, captivates the American mood and spirit. Apart from wilder fundamentalist theologies involving Armegeddon (but given that 80% believe in a 2nd coming, 20% within their lifetime then maybe this isn't as fringe a belief as it sounds ) there is something perhaps quasi-religous to it, or at the very least some emotional, non-rational, narrative that binds the US to Israel no matter what the realities on the ground.

Whatever the reasons, it is still exceedingly scary that the US could be  railroaded into a serious conflict by the beligerent and unilateral actions of a state to which it provides so much support. If Israel attacks Iran then the US will be seen by most in the region as at the very least approving and at worst complicit, and would inevitably be a dangerous and difficult development for the US itself to deal with. A closing of the straights of Hormuz, inflamed attacks on US interests in the region and beyond, an oil crisis wtih econmoic shockwaves, all these are real effects which will cost the US dear if it's 'friend and ally' ignores its please for calm and launches a preemptive strike. And of course the important point is that it's not that the US is trying to sacrifice Isreal for its own good, rather it is trying to prevent Israel from doing something which is worse for it itself.
No conspiracy, but crazy nonetheless...