At a recent appearance, President Donald Trump said that without the United States—and without his own actions—Israel would not have survived, adding that no other president had been willing to do what he did for the Jewish state.

Such statements naturally draw attention. They also raise a serious question: how should a Jew hear claims like this, especially when gratitude and dependence can so easily blur into one another?

Judaism places great weight on gratitude. Hakarat hatov is not a courtesy; it is an obligation. When individuals or nations support Israel in moments of need, that support must be recognized with honesty and appreciation. In that sense, President Trump’s policies toward Israel—including the recognition of Jerusalem as its capital, the relocation of the American embassy, recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and the Abraham Accords—represent significant actions that strengthened Israel diplomatically and strategically. They deserve genuine thanks.

But gratitude is not dependence.

Jewish history makes that distinction........

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