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Distancing from Israel Won't Help U.S. Relationship with Arab States

(TIME) Dennis Ross - Every president since Reagan has developed the architecture of U.S. security cooperation Israel, reflecting the understanding that Israel's military assets enhanced our own in the region. Neither the Bush 41 and Obama administrations had a problem distancing from Israel and having public spats with it. Bill Clinton and Bush 43 adopted a different approach. They instinctively felt it was a mistake to create a gap with Israel. Even when there were disagreements, they sought to keep them private and manage them. They each felt that the U.S. should not give succor to Israel's enemies. To do so might erode Israel's deterrent. Moreover, neither thought that distancing from Israel would help the U.S. with the Arabs. They understood, correctly, that our key Arab friends focus first on their own survival. This pattern is likely to repeat itself: after every president who distanced us from Israel, his successor has moved to remove the appearance of tension. Thus, whether that successor is a Democrat or Republican, we will likely see him or her strike a different public posture toward Israel. Amb. Dennis Ross is a Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
2015-10-16 00:00:00
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