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Obama and Israel: Hot or Cold?

(Foreign Policy) Michael Singh - U.S.-Israel military and security ties have never been stronger. That the strength of this relationship attests to the good health of the U.S.-Israel alliance, however, is questionable. The U.S. provides military assistance to Israel not out of charity, but because it is in our interest to do so. Israel is a powerful, competent, and cooperative partner in a region that is vital to American security and prosperity. Our assistance not only protects Israel, but also provides for our common defense against threats such as Iran's nuclear and missile program and transnational terrorist groups. These threats are not merely hypothetical, as demonstrated by the Israeli strike on Syria's clandestine nuclear program in 2007. We seek to safeguard Israel's security in order to advance our own. Many observers have suggested that our military support for Israel should be traded for Israeli concessions in the peace process, but this sort of zero-sum thinking does not stand up to the rigors of the real world. An Israel both consumed with external threats and worried about the reliability of U.S. backing is one which will hunker down, not take risks for peace.
2011-10-05 00:00:00
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