Until April 26, the 62-year relationship between the United States and Israel appeared to be coming apart at the seams. These ties ought to be stronger now than ever, but President Barack Obama prompted a diplomatic fracas over whether Israel had the right to build apartment buildings. So great is the opposition that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was moved to remark “We in Congress stand by Israel,” on March 24, contrasting Congress’ position with that of the President. Obama’s relationship with Israel has been troubled, even according to the leading left-wing–and most anti-settlement Israeli newspaper, Ha’aretz, which described U.S.-Israel relations as having experienced “high-level tensions...[that are] rumbling on into a second year.” Not until April 26, when Obama, in a private meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, declared that he had an “unshakeable committment to Israel’s security,” did a sense of normalcy return to U.S.-Israeli relations. Yet this affirmation by Obama is insufficient committment to Israel.
The fundamental ties that link Israel to the United States are ones of tradition, history and shared culture. Israel, founded 62 years ago this past week, would never have existed without the express support of then-President Harry S. Truman, and as the years have gone by, Israel has stood by the United States—voting with the U.S. more consistently in the United Nations than any other nation, supporting our national security establishment, and 67 percent of Americans have a favorable image of Israel as a result, according to a February 19, 2010 poll conducted by Gallup.
Yet the tangible benefits of the U.S.-Israel relationship pale in comparison to the intangibles. Israel has attracted public comment from figures of all stripes, including Martin Luther King, Jr., who, in a 1968 speech, called Israel “one of the great outposts of democracy in the world,” and termed it “a marvelous example of what can be done, how the desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy.” King’s sentiments are most certainly fundamental to the character of the State of Israel. As many anti-Israel public figures have noted, 1967–the year before King was quoted–was the year in which Israel purportedly occupied Palestinian land, precipitating much of the current problems, evincing the continual relevance of King’s comments.
That tiny nation, which was founded in a liberal Western tradition and built on immigration from across the globe, made something of itself in the best traditions of the democratic states of the world. Israel is committed to liberal values—freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the principle of popular sovereignty—and it is in the interest of the United States to support our ideological allies as strongly as possible.
Additionally, it would be negligent to not recognize how even today, the national security interests of Israel and the U.S. are more aligned than ever. In fact, joint military exercises between the U.S. and Israel are being conducted, and even now, a $250 million deal between the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense regarding the purchase of transport aircraft by Israel is in the works. Evidently, diplomatic troubles belie real security ties that will only strengthen, particularly if Iran becomes more intransigent.
Obama’s lack of support for Israel is troubling—it brings into question his commitment to our allies, in particular—yet this problem could be solved and the relationship improved with great ease. With a visit to Israel that concludes with a speech affirming American support for Israel in the same vein that he committed the United States to work towards a better relationship with the Muslim world in a 2009 speech in Egypt.
Though Obama has made his committment to Israel known in private, it would still be appropriate for Obama to visit Israel and speak to the Israeli people in public. Not only will this grant Obama foreign policy credibility among more conservative crowds, but he will also obtain the cooperation of Israelis so as to advance his agenda for peace in the region.
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