When Allies Become Unreliable

For decades, Israel has viewed the United States as its strongest ally. The relationship has survived wars, political disagreements, changing administrations, and shifting global realities. Yet there are moments when even close allies find themselves looking at each other with growing concern. The current American approach toward Iran is one of those moments.

It is not difficult to understand the motivation behind Donald Trump’s pursuit of a deal with Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Many observers believe that one of Trump’s greatest ambitions has always been to secure a place in history as a peacemaker and  even receive the Nobel Peace Prize. For a man who has spent a lifetime seeking recognition and legacy, such an award would represent the ultimate achievement.

The problem is that history is filled with leaders who believed they could negotiate with dangerous regimes and fundamentally change their nature. Too often, reality proved otherwise.

From an Israeli perspective, the prospect of making major concessions to the Iranian regime is alarming. Iran is not simply another country with whom the West has disagreements. It is a regime that openly calls for the destruction of Israel, finances and arms terrorist organizations across the Middle East, and has spent decades destabilizing the region.

While diplomats in Western capitals discuss peace agreements and diplomatic breakthroughs, Israeli citizens must live with the consequences of those decisions. They understand that Iranian support has empowered organizations such as Hamas and........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)