By Hadiqa Maryam Abbasi
Israel, such a small country that you can traverse the entire country from the northern border to the southern border within 8-10 hours. But what makes this country so crucial for Washington? Let’s delve deeper to unpack the reasons behind Washington’s relentless support for Tel Aviv.
To grasp the dynamics of US-Israel relations, it’s mandatory to know that the US was not always Israel’s ally. Although the US supported the creation of the Jewish state in 1948 and provided $150 billion in aid, US-Israel relations were not as exemplary as they are today. The US didn’t support Israel during the first Arab-Israeli war and even condemned Israel, Britain, and France when they attacked the Suez Canal in 1956.
It was the six-day Arab-Israeli war in 1967 that entirely changed Washington’s policy towards Israel. During this conflict, Israel defeated a coalition of Arab states without any considerable outside support. After Israel’s victory over the Kremlin-backed Arab coalition (Jordan, Egypt, and Syria), Israel emerged as a strong military force in the Middle East and became an attractive ally for Washington.
To counter Soviet influence in the Middle East at the height of the Cold War, the US started selling weapons to Israel, and soon both countries began cooperating on technology and research. In 1999, then-US President Bill Clinton signed a ten-year memorandum with Israel to provide her with annual military aid. According to reports, the US has given Israel $260 billion in aid since WWII.
Israel’s expertise in cutting-edge technology and her pivotal role in the growth and development of Silicon Valley have also made her important for the US. Israel provides the latest technology to America, assists in countering security threats, and shares intelligence on Middle East political developments.
Furthermore, almost six million Jews reside in the US, making it important for both Republicans and Democrats to win their political support by backing Israel. Although the Cold War has ended, the US still sees Israel as a bulwark against Russian influence in the Middle East, Arab nationalism, anti-US extremist groups, and nuclear proliferation efforts by Iran.
Israel has played a decisive role in preventing Syria, Iraq, and Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Israel is a key US ally in the Middle East to keep a check on Tehran and Damascus. Moreover, Israel is the most important supplier of cutting-edge defense technology to the US, including cyber weapons, electronic warfare systems, unmanned vehicles, and advanced defense technology for military vehicles.
Israel’s expertise in civilian and military technology kois helping the US maintain her technological and economic dominance over the world. As Bill Gates said in 2006, “Innovation going on in Israel is critical to the future of the technology business.” US investors and tech giants like Bill Gates consider Israel a heaven for investment. Israel spends more than 5.5 percent of her GDP on research, which is why Israeli innovators always come up with novel solutions to problems like food and water security, climate change, and modern irrigation techniques like drip irrigation and reverse osmosis desalination.
Israel is a leader in the development of renewable energy resources and water recycling. That’s the rationale behind the White House’s (self-proclaimed biggest champion of human rights) unwavering support for the war criminal, occupier Israel. The US’s policy towards Israel has been the same for decades, and Israel has been getting bipartisan support from the US. Israel’s importance for the US can be well comprehended from Joe Biden’s statement: “If there were no Israel, we would have to create one.” After analyzing this statement, it’s not difficult to understand how important Tel Aviv is for the US and how far the US can go to protect Israel.
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The writer is Undergraduate at International Islamic University Islamabad in the department of Politics and International relations.
Email: hadiqa.bsps381@iiu.edu.pk