For many decades, political commentators have tended to describe the relationship between Israel and the United States in terms of a “values-based alliance”: democracies, equality before the law, and similar moral conceptions. All of these are true, yet they do not explain the depth and resilience of the relationship, as reflected in the current campaign against Iran. 

The special relationship between Jerusalem and Washington rests first and foremost on a deep and enduring alignment of vital strategic interests — a trend that began to take shape after 1967, when Israel proved its strategic value in Washington’s eyes. However, the current campaign has brought this to a new peak since the founding of the state.

Israel today holds an unprecedented position in the international system as a result of being a strategic partner of the United States. What we are witnessing between Israel and the United States today is not merely friendship between states, nor just an “ally” in the way NATO allies are described. This is already a full strategic partnership between two states and two leaders who see eye to eye regarding the threat to world peace, and who act together to neutralize that threat. 

There are many countries with good intentions but lacking capabilities, and many countries – particularly in Europe – that possess capabilities but lack willingness. Thus, while European states hesitate, deliberate, and at critical junctures refrain from committing resources and power to defend the interests upon which their own security and that of their partners depend, Israel, significantly smaller in size than “strategic” and natural US partners worldwide,........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)