THE UNIQUE AND MUTUALLY BENFICIAL US/ISRAEL RELATIONS: YORAM ETTINGER
THE BOTTOM-UP US-ISRAEL RELATIONS
http://www.theettingerreport.com/OpEd/General/The-Mutually-Beneficial-Bottom
-Up-US-Israel-Relati.aspx
The enthusiastic reception – by Democrats and Republicans, liberals and
conservatives, doves and hawks – to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s May 24, 2011
speech before a joint session of the US Congress reflected the unique
relationship between the United States and Israel. The ties between the US
and Israel resemble a triple-braided cord, which is not easily broken,
consisting of shared values and mutually-beneficial economic and security
interests.
The US affinity towards the Jewish State is exceptional in the international
relations arena. It is based upon a bottom-up structure, deriving its
potency from the American people more than from American politicians.
Most Americans identify the Jewish State with cardinal US domestic values –
not just with foreign policy – that reflect the Judeo-Christian roots of
American democracy, liberty, morality, justice and the federalist system.
Such sentiments have produced systemic and solid support for Jewish
sovereignty in Zion, dating back to the 17th century Pilgrims and the 18th
century American Founding Fathers. These sentiments are currently echoed by
the representatives of the American people in the legislatures of the 50
states and in the US House of Representatives and Senate in Washington, DC.
While American presidents play a critical role in shaping US-Israel
relations, the American people and their representatives set the
foundations, direction and tone, as well as the content of the bilateral
relations, sometimes overruling or redirecting White House policies.
The 390 year old infrastructure of shared values between the US and the
vision of a Jewish State – since the sermons of William Bradford on the
“Mayflower” in 1620AD – has been buttressed in recent years by Israel’s
significant contribution to US national security in the face of mutual
threats and in the pursuit of joint interests. In addition, Israeli
cutting-edge technologies have stimulated the US economy. Moreover,
Israel’s role as the only reliable and capable Middle Eastern ally of the US
is highlighted by the recent seismic developments destabilizing every Arab
country.
Thus, the unique popular affinity towards Israel has produced a robust
relationship, benefitting both countries, while facilitating quick healing
of occasional tensions and crises between American and Israeli leaders.
THE FOUNDATIONS OF SHARED VALUES
Prime Minister Netanyahu received the longest standing ovations, from House
Representatives and Senators, when he referred to the return of the Jewish
People to the Land of Israel, to the Jewish deed over Judea and Samaria and
to the indivisibility of Jerusalem.
The enthusiastic legislators of 2011 adhere to the legacy of the authors of
the 1787 US Constitution. The latter were inspired by the Jewish Bible, by
the Exodus from Egypt and by the political structure of the 12 Jewish
tribes, which were governed by Moses the Executive, Aaron, the tribal
governors and the legislature of 70 elders. The US Founding Fathers
regarded themselves as “the modern-day People of the Covenant.” Hence, the
term “Federalism,” a derivative of the Latin word for “Covenant” – Foedus.
Therefore, a marble replica of Moses – who is perceived by Americans as the
chief law giver – is featured, prominently, at the House of Representatives
on Capitol Hill, facing the seat of the Speaker of the House, the chief
legislator. Two sculptures of Moses welcome visitors at the entrance to the
Supreme Court and above the bench of the US Supreme Court Justices. Another
sculpture of Moses is displayed in the rotunda of the Library of Congress.
The inscription on the Liberty Bell, a corner stone of the American ethos is
from the book of Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land
unto all the inhabitants thereof.” It inspired the anti-slavery movement, in
general, and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in particular.
The Ten Commandments proliferate in US government buildings, under the
assumption that they have deeply impacted American civil laws. A granite
rock, shaped like the Two Tablets, welcomes visitors to the Texas State
Capitol in Austin, and the official seal of Yale University features the
Hebrew words, “Urim and Thummim,” which were the power of the High Priest
during the Exodus. Furthermore, the map of the US features thousands of
sites bearing biblical names, such as Salem (JeruSalem), Zion, Beth El,
Bethlehem, Dothan, Ephrata, Hebron, Jericho, Canaan, Pisgah, Carmel, Gilboa,
Rehoboth, etc.
American leaders often quote from the Bible, since the US is the most
religious Western society, believing in God and in Judeo-Christian values
(90% and 80% respectively), with 42% of Christians frequenting Sunday church
services. For example, at the conclusion of the 2009 Senate debate on
President Obama’s health reform, the very liberal Democratic Senator, Tom
Harkin, congratulated the Majority Leader for “displaying the patience of
Job, the endurance of Samson and the wisdom of Solomon.” In January 2001,
Republican Senator Mitch McConnell introduced President Bush at a
nation-wide televised Senate luncheon: “We trust that you shall lead us in
the best tradition of Joshua and Caleb.” David’s lamentation featured
prominently during the eulogies for Presidents Washington and Lincoln, and
President Bush was compared to King David during the 2001 inaugural prayer
services at the Washington National Cathedral.
MUTUAL-THREATS AND JOINT INTERESTS
Unlike European Parliamentarians, US legislators did not hold their breath,
expecting Netanyahu to announce further concessions to the Palestinians. In
fact, the vast majority of US legislators – just like their constituents –
do not trust the Palestinians.
Netanyahu should not have focused on the Palestinian issue, and certainly
should not have offered further concessions. He should have focused on the
larger context of US-Israel relations, which benefits America on the
federal, state and district levels. He should have proposed specific
job-creating, export-increasing and security-enhancing bilateral programs,
similar to the mutually-beneficial existing programs. He should have
offered the US expanded access to the ports of Haifa and Ashdod, and to
dramatically enlarge and diversify the prepositioning of American military
systems in Israel, for use by the US upon regional emergencies.
The larger context of the US-Israel relationship extends beyond the
foundations of shared-values and transcends the Arab-Israeli conflict. It
leverages Israel’s unique capabilities in order to advance both regional and
global American interests. It is not a one-way-street relationship – with
the US giving and Israel receiving; it is a mutually-beneficial
two-way-street.
For example, Senator Daniel Inouye, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee
and its Subcommittee on Defense, and former Chairman of the Intelligence
Committee, contends that “Israel’s contribution to US military intelligence
is greater than all NATO countries combined.” General Keegan, former chief
of US Air Force Intelligence, asserted that “the scope of intelligence
gained by the US from Israel is equal to five CIAs.”
Currently, US special operations forces are trained in Israel, on their way
to Iraq and Afghanistan, leveraging Israeli battle tactics and
counter-terrorism experience in the face of improvised explosive devices
(IEDs), car bombs, booby-traps, suicide bombers and anti-tank missiles.
According to Brig. General Michael Vane, Deputy Chief of Staff at the US
Army Training and Doctrine Command, the Israeli experience played a role in
defeating terrorists in Iraq’s “Sunni Triangle.”
In September 2007, Israel demolished a nuclear plant in Syria, dealing a
blow to the anti-Western Syria-Iran-North Korea axis, while upgrading the
posture of deterrence and the joint interests of the US and Israel.
In 1982, Israel devastated 23 most advanced Soviet surface-to-air missile
batteries, employed by Syria and considered impregnable. Israel’s battle
tactics and electronic warfare were shared with the US, thus tilting the
global balance of power in favor of the US and delivering to the US defense
industries sensitive and rare knowhow.
In 1981, Israel decimated Iraq’s nuclear reactor, in defiance of US and
international pressure. This provided the US with the conventional option
during the 1991 war against Iraq, sparing the US a traumatic nuclear
confrontation.
In 1970, Syria, invaded Jordan, aiming to topple the Hashemite regime and
activate a pro-Soviet domino scenario into the Gulf States. US forces were
over-stretched in Vietnam, but Israel mobilized its military, forcing Syria
into a swift evacuation of Jordan, thus avoiding a dramatic setback to US
national security and economy. Israel’s capability of snatching roasting
chestnuts out of the fire – without US involvement – vindicated enhanced
US-Israel strategic cooperation, irrespective of severe US-Israel
disagreements over the Arab-Israeli conflict. The US is determined to avoid
cutting off its nose to spite its face.
Israel’s unique contribution to US national security was summed up by the
late General Alexander Haig, who was the Supreme Commander of NATO and US
Secretary of State: “Israel is the largest, most battle-tested and
cost-effective US aircraft carrier, which does not require even one American
soldier, cannot be sunk and is located in a critical region for American
national security and economic interests. If Israel did not exist – the US
would have to deploy a few additional aircraft carriers to the
Mediterranean, along with tens of thousands of military personnel, costing
the US taxpayers $20BN annually and dragging the US into additional regional
and international confrontations.”
Israel constitutes a bonanza for the US defense industries, advancing US
national security, employment, research & development and exports. In
addition, Israel is a battle-proven laboratory, which has upgraded and
refurbished hundreds of US military systems and technologies. It shares with
the US most of these improvements, enhancing the competitive edge of the US
defense industries, thus saving many US lives and mega billions of dollars
in terms of new jobs, research and development. For instance, the current
generation of the F-16 includes over 600 modifications introduced by Israel.
Also, during the Cold War, Israel transferred to the US captured Soviet
combat aircraft, radar and other military systems, which afforded the US a
crucial advantage over the USSR, operationally and industrially.
If there had been an Israel-like nation in the Persian Gulf, there would not
be a need to dispatch hundreds of thousands of US military personnel to the
region!
THE IMPACT OF THE MIDDLE EAST UPHEAVAL
The upheaval in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Syria and other
Arab countries highlight Israel’s unique qualities as an ally of the US.
The 2011 turmoil has removed “the Middle East screensaver,” exposing the
real Arab Street: No “Arab Spring,” but the exacerbation of
tribal-ethnic-religious-geographic-ideological rivalries, animosities,
splits and power struggles; the intensification of domestic and intra-Arab
fragmentation; the escalation of intolerance, violence and hate-culture; the
absence of stability and the deepening of uncertainty, which exposes the
tenuous nature of Arab regimes and their agreements and alliances; the
ruthless submission of democracy-seeking elements and the perpetuation of
atrocious tyrannies.
Egypt – a beneficiary of billions of dollars and state of the art US
military systems – maintains close ties with North Korea, Russia and China,
agitates the Horn of Africa and Sudan, consistently votes against the US in
the UN, collaborates with Hamas’ smuggling of missiles and explosives into
Gaza and institutionalizes hate-education.
Iran had access to the most advanced US military systems when the Shah was
at the helm. However, the Shah was toppled, and Iran was transformed from a
staunch US ally into the most anti-US regime in the world.
Libya granted the US, in 1954, the use of Wheelus Air Base, which became the
largest US Air Force base outside the USA. In 1969, Colonel Qaddafi
overthrew King Idris and Wheelus serviced the Soviet Air Force. Libya became
a terrorist state, responsible for the murder of 270 people during the 1988
PanAm-103 bombing, as well as for the 1986 LaBelle Discotheque bombing.
Iraq was pro-Western until the1958 anti-Western coup. Saddam Hussein – who
ruled Iraq since 1979 – gained the confidence of the US and benefitted from
a shared-intelligence agreement, the transfer of sensitive dual-use American
technologies and $5BN loan guarantees until his 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
The US evacuation of Iraq could trigger a volcanic-like eruption, which
could consume Iraq itself, as well as neighboring countries.
Saudi Arabia depends on the US for its survival in the face of lethal
regional threats. The 1991 and 2003 US Gulf Wars were largely induced by
the concern for a Saddam takeover of Saudi Arabia. However, Riyad bankrolls
the operations of anti-US Islamic organizations in the US and anti-US
Islamic terrorists worldwide.
Israel’s strategic added-value is underlined by the gathering conventional
and non-conventional Arab storms, by the increasing vulnerability of pro-US
Arab regimes, by the intensified threats of Islamic terrorism and Iran’s
nuclearization, by the deepening penetration of the Arab Middle East by
Russia and China, by the recent erosion of the US posture of deterrence and
by the expected US evacuation of Iraq and Afghanistan. Israel’s
reliability, capability, credibility, stability, democracy and unconditional
alliance with the USA are anomalous in the Middle East.
US-Israel cooperation, in defiance of mutual threats, should not be
undermined by US-Israel disagreements over the Arab-Israeli conflict and the
Palestinian issue. Recent Arab havoc has reaffirmed that the Palestinian
issue has never been the root cause of Middle East turbulence or the crown
jewel of Arab policy-making. In fact, regional turbulence is unrelated to
the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Palestinian issue, Israel’s policies or
Israel’s existence.
THE US PUBLIC SUPPORTS ISRAEL
In February, 2011, Gallup poll ranked Israel (68%) among the seven most
popular countries in the USA, which include Canada, Britain, Germany, Japan,
India and France, dramatically ahead of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt (37%,
50% and 40% respectively). The Palestinian Authority (19%) was at the
bottom of the list, along with Iran and North Korea.
On February 25, 2011, the Rasmussen Report determined that most Americans
would stop foreign aid to Arab countries, but support foreign aid to Israel.
61% do not expect the current Middle East upheaval to advance democracy or
peace in Arab countries.
In April 2010, “The Quinnipiac Institute” – often quoted by The New York
Time, The Washington Post and CNN – documented a 66%:19% majority, expecting
President Obama to upgrade his support of Israel.
In fact, while support for Israel is consistently in the high 60%, President
Obama has already lost his “Bin Laden bump,” falling back to 45%-50%
approval rating.
However, the “Super Poll” is conducted daily on Capitol Hill, where support
of Israel constitutes a rare bi-partisan common denominator. House Members
(about 75%) and Senators (about 80%) – who are extremely sensitive to the
worldview of constituents – overwhelmingly support pro-Israel legislation
and resolutions, even in opposition to the President. Most legislators and
constituents identify the Jewish State with their own values: faith,
religion, tradition, patriotism, democracy-liberty, military and
counter-terrorism, while suspecting Arabs and opposing the UN. Under the
American political system, Congress is equal in power to the President, and
the constituent holds a big stick over the head of legislators and
presidents, who fear the bi-annual battle cry: “We shall remember in
November.”
The solid foundation of shared US-Israel values, the recent volcanic
eruptions in the Middle East and Israel’s proven-capabilities and
reliability, have transformed the US into a sustained bastion of support for
the Jewish State, notwithstanding brief and transient tensions between the
leaders of both countries.
EPILOGUE
The congressional response to the May 24, 2011 Netanyahu speech reaffirmed
the unique ties between the leader of the Free World and its sole soul ally
in the Middle East. It underlined the limit to the White House pressure on
Israel and clarified that Washington was not going to embrace the
Palestinian position.
In fact, the Netanyahu speech, and the exhilarated reaction by Congress test
Palestinian intentions: Will they repeat past mistakes by intensifying
terrorism? Or, will they reduce expectations, moderate radicalism, abandon
terrorism and uproot hate education, thus advancing the cause of peace?
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