America's Special Relationship with Israel

It has long been established that the United States have a special relationship with the state of Israel. How this state of affairs came into being, how it has developed after the fall of the Soviet Union, and how it continues into today's world are subject to debate. What role should the US play in Israeli affairs? How should we react to their invasion of Gaza? How do we balance their intense fear of Iran with diplomacy? But, my main question, how does this special relationship persist?

A little background on how this relationship came to exist. After World War II, the sense of guilt at allowing the Holocaust to happen sent Europe and America into a bit of a tizzy. Zionist groups took advantage of this guilt to further their ends. The history of Zionism has been pretty well covered, from the Balfour Declaration to the found of Eretz Yisrael. The war of Israeli independence, which uprooted Palestinians and caused the scorn of Arab nations to befall the small Jewish country was manipulated from the start by Britain and the US to a lesser extent.

Israel was able to fight for its very existence against it's Arab enemies. This it did admirably, creating the image of the scrappy underdog. Since then however, it has been aided greatly by the United States. Why? Israel was seen as the toehold the US had in the Middle East against Soviet encroachment. The Soviet Union was making inroads in the Northern Crescent and with Egypt, and the States needed a counterbalance. Given the long history of American's interest in Zionism and the Biblical land of the Israelites, it is no wonder that they backed the new state.

Many presidents since the founding of Israel have tried to take a firm stance against the Israeli treatment of Palestinians. Something always came up though. Be it anything from the Cold War to the Iranian hostage crisis. No one ever got around to dealing strongly with Israel. Administrations constantly had to lend aid to the country in order to maintain a strong ally in the region. This is especially true after the Iranian Revolution. Now, with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the spawning of terrorist groups in the area, US administrations are stuck yet again.

Will Obama be able to take a stronger line against Israel? They have a strong grip on American politics through the Jewish Lobby in the States. And we really can't be too hard on a strong ally. The situation is precarious, but something different needs to be done. Too much time has been lost already. The right of return for Palestinians is now nearly laughable. They've been gone too long for many even to acknowledge a right of return.

Baby steps. The US needs to work with Israel towards granting Gazans and West Bankers some pretty basic rights. We need to utilize our special relationship with them to get them to adhere to international law. The first step there is to adhere to it ourselves. Obama promises change in that regard, and we can hope (sorry) for the best. Still, what will make him different?

Recently, Defense Minister Ehud Barak has proposed a tunnel between the two Palestinian territories. It would be a 48 km tunnel going under the state of Israel. This can only be described as madness. How would anyone feel safe using it? Not to mention how much it degrades the humanity of Palestinians. They can come through the land that was once theirs... underground, hidden from the light of day. The Israelis would maintain sovereignty over the tunnel, but allow the Palestinians to control traffic. Thank God for that trade-off, right? This is hardly a freedom of movement proposal.

The Palestinian leadership is hardly helping things. By allowing, or ordering, rockets to be fired into Southern Israel, they are making legitimate peace talks nearly impossible. Also, they are further alienating any Western sympathizers by appearing to most as nothing less than another terrorist cell. While many can tell the difference between idiot hate-mongers (Bin Laden) and legitimate freedom fighters (no example,) Hamas blurs the line for the majority of people. Sometimes even I can't tell what side to root for.

Oh well. The most I can hope for is the literate society in America to stand up and demand that something different be done. And for the same to happen around the world. Not like these silly little protests where angsty, wanna-be revolutionaries in Che t-shirts go around throwing rocks at police officers, but a legitimate protest. Write your Congressperson. Write Obama, I understand he has a web-page for that.

Also, do not take what I say as a hatred of Israel. The country is amazing and has brought us many amazing things. It is much like a miniature United States. It is full of promise, but it runs the risk of letting its leadership squander these promises. That cannot happen. Most important, get out there and read something other than the Twilight series. Don't forgo the entertainment lit, but don't neglect the important stuff either.

Peace.

For more info:

Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present by Michael B. Oren

Sources in the History of the Modern Middle East compiled by Akram Fouad Khater

A History of Modern Palestine by Ilan Pappe

A History of the Modern Middle East by William Cleveland

The Super Powers and the Middle East by Alan Palmer