Will it be the unquestioning support for the policies of the Israeli government of the day, no matter how misguided the policy advocated by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) and docilely adhered to by members of Congress? Or will it be as Chuck Hagel, the president‘s nominee for defence secretary, would have it: to continue to assure Israel‘s military security but to maintain that support for Israel rises above automatic backing for any given Israeli government, which may be pursuing policies that threaten the very existence of the Jewish state.