Israel’s American Friend

The U.S is facing an election which will determine the face of the most powerful country in the world. It is a very different country from the one it was when Dwight Eisenhower was president declared victory in 1945.

That America dreamed that they had fought the war to end all wars. That country set out to ensure that objective was going to be realized. America and its allies built world institutions that it was hoped would help realize that objective. American leaders backed up that dream by expending billions in U.S. dollars, and the blood of thousands of its citizens, in the hope of making that dream a reality. Part of that dream was free international trade where the lowest cost solution was king and the poorest countries would get the jobs.

Since that time for America we have had the Viet Nam war, the Afghanistan occupation, and 9/11. That dream has turned into a nightmare, with a resurgent of Russia and China, the North Korea aberration and the revival of the  Islamic crusade for world domination in the hands of Iran, with Turkey and Qatar playing both ends. The failure of the UN to play its hoped for role is part of the picture. Disillusionment with free trade is also part of the picture as the vulnerabilities of relying on enemies for crucial inputs became evident.

Americans are no longer willing to die for somebody else’s freedom or willing to give up hometown jobs so some in their cities can have cheap goods while relying on the good will of enemies for strategic inputs. Free trade for the west did not mean their competitors would not cheat. So western countries are putting up tariffs and rebuilding their industrial complex.

After Israel proved it could survive on its own resources in a hostile world, with the building of a powerful technology base, and crucial defense weaponry, America adopted it as a sidekick. The mantra grew up that Israel was America’s buddy, and it would standby Israel through thick and thin. There were some bumps in the road, like the Suez Canal crisis, but for the last decade U.S support for Israel was the religion.

The America of today is a totally new creature dominated by the verities on realpolitik. Just as it has no appetite for putting Americans in harm’s way even if it serves U.S interests, it certainly will not go a great deal out of its way to serve Israel’s interests. It may be dependent on Israel’s superb intelligence services, its innovativeness in improving U.S. military capabilities in myriad ways, and much more economically. Since it pays well for that, it does not earn Israel many marks.

The self-inflicted wounds that Israel has suffered, the Oslo Accords, the withdrawal from Gaza, its complacency regarding the Hamas threat, have earned it little consideration in America. The Israeli public is now much more realistic in its assessment of the potentiality for peace with its Palestinian neighbors. In spite 0f the losses they have suffered, Palestinians still favor Hamas’s murderous actions. Iran is daily pouring oil on that fire.

America knows that Hamas’s central strategy is to place civilians in harm’s way to discourage military action against it, and to cast blame on Israel for any losses. In spite of Israeli action to mitigate civilian losses, at its own cost, this effort is ignored. All talk is about Israel’s actions to eliminate the threat Hamas represents. There is no reference to the reality that the current violence was initiated by Hamas. Hamas’s promise to repeat its efforts to destroy Israel is ignored.

The Israeli public now knows there is no chance of a peaceful resolution. The large majority of Israeli citizenry will insist on total control of its borders by the Israel military. They cannot allow a Palestinian state with its own armed forces. We can see today how the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority is a problem, how even the border with Jordan is a problem.

Israel was forced to annex Syrian territory to stop attacks from that direction. Hezbollah will force Israel into the same action in Lebanon. Commitments to the UN have been ignored without sanction. How can Israel permit Hamas to remain a continued presence in Gaza?

Yet Israel’s American friend has continued to speak with forked tongue about Israel’s action in Gaza. While continually supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, America has opposed its effort to uproot Hamas. (Obama’s weakness in dealing with Iran led to funding its current success in generating proxies.)

Listen to what Harris has been saying.

Israel’s action in Rafah was opposed by America, root and branch. The importance of the Philadelphia corridor for resupplying Hamas with arms is well known but ignored by America’s political echelon. It is evident that America has the same objective as Hamas in the hostage negotiations. They want the war against Hamas to end. It  would leave Hamas remaining as a factor.

Perhaps America sees this as serving their objective, a two-state solution, even though this would be a disaster for Israel and a reward for Hamas, repeating America’s weakness with Obama’s policy toward Iran.

Now that Israel has turned its attention to bringing its northern residents back to their homes, by dealing forcefully with Hezbollah, American strategy aimed at tamping down the war is a non-starter. Israel will be criticized as its enemies ignore the year of daily missiles it has suffered. America has lost its credibility with most observers.