The History of Israel-USA Relationship
By Erika Schwartz
Since my premise is (and always will be) that Israel's safety and continued existence should be a top priority of every Jew in the world, let me first address the obvious challenge question . . . . "Are you loyal to the United States or are you loyal to Israel?"
Sounds simple, doesn't it? Every loyal American's answer should be "My loyalty is to the USA first!"
But wait a minute. Take a step back and consider the very unique history of the Jews.
Throughout our history, regardless of how well we were treated or how welcome we felt in any country, we were eventually expelled/marginalized/murdered by our host country. Tough times inevitably led to "blame the Jews" and . . . as they say . . . the rest is history.
THAT is our history. Can you think of any other group of people who have had the same experience over and over again for thousands of years? I can't.
I don't expect the USA to herd us into ghettos or kick us out any time soon. But . . . .
So, for the sake of generations of Jews to come, I have to put Israel's continued existence at the top of my priority list. Radical, but that's my personal opinion.
So now let's explore the USA's relationship with Israel over the past 65 years.
In the early stages, the USA was very ambivalent about Israel. Although President Truman supported partition of Palestine and recognition of Israel, he was opposed by the Departments of State and Defense. Even after announcing recognition minutes after Israel declared her existence in May of 1948, the administration didn't immediately lift an arms embargo nor was an Israeli loan request granted until January 1949. Foreign aid to Israel was relatively minor until 1971 when it increased sharply to $600 million. Just a couple of years prior, the aid amounted to just $76 million.
Throughout most of the administrations, American Presidents have had to walk a thin line between supporting Israel and having access to oil fields controlled by Israel's often-hostile neighbors. In fact, in 1956 President Dwight Eisenhower came to the rescue of Egypt when Britain, France and Israel staged a "faux war" to wrest control of the Suez Canal away from Egypt. This was, in fact, the moment when the USA became a major player in the Middle East.
The Johnson administration was the first to give whole-hearted support to Israel after the Six-Day War. However, things got tense in 1970 during the Nixon administration when Israel refused to accept a plan put forth by Secretary of State William P. Rogers. Trying to calm the War of Attrition between Israel and Egypt, the Rogers Plan called for a 90 day cease-fire and a military standstill zone on each side of the Suez Canal.
In 1975 all U.S. arms shipments to Israel were halted when President Ford sent a letter to Prime Minister Rabin stating that "Israeli intransigence has complicated US worldwide interests."
The Carter administration was marked by Israel's agreement to full withdrawal from the Sinai, thus leading to the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty.
Many consider the Reagan years as the "most pro-Israel ever." Although there were many contentious issues (particularly over Israel's airstrike on the Iraqi nuclear reactor and Israel's siege of Beirut during the Lebanon War), the two countries shared similar perspectives on terrorism, security and the Soviet threat during the Reagan years. This led to extremely close ties and cooperation.
President George H.W. Bush began his presidency by signaling that Israel should "abandon its expansionist policies." The Persian Gulf War, however, brought the two countries closer together. For the most part, the Bush administration was not considered to have a particularly amicable relationship with the Likud government of Yitzhak Shamir.
President Clinton was witness to the Jordan-Israel peace treaty signing as well as producing the 1995 Interim Agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Although Clinton was critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu's policy of expanding Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, he was said to have a close relationship with Prime Minister Ehud Barak and mediated meetings between Barak and Arafat at the White House.
President George W. Bush established good relations with Israel's Prime Minister Sharon early in his presidency. However, Sharon accused the Bush administration of appeasing the Palestinians at Israel's expense in order to garner support for the USA's anti-terror campaign shortly after the September 11 attacks.
The most serious issue between Israel and the Obama administration (and arguably the most serious issue to face Israel in her entire short history) is the issue of Iran. In the view of Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Obama administration has not been willing to "draw a line in the sand" to make it absolutely clear when the United States would take military action to prevent the Iranians from developing a nuclear weapon. Since Iran's President Ahmedinajad has clearly stated that his country's intent is to "wipe Israel off the face of the earth", Prime Minister Netanyahu has become extremely frustrated with the Administration's position of " . . . watching very carefully what they do . . . ." There is tremendous pressure on President Obama, particularly from his political base, to not allow Israel to draw the USA into yet another Middle East war. Israel is clearly aware that this is not a war they can fight on their own.
So . . . here's my summary. No President has demonstrated a strong consistent commitment to the security of Israel. Some (such as Reagan) have come close. From what I've learned as I've studied this subject, it appears that the closer ties to Israel have come from Presidents who have had a stronger commitment to America's defensive strength. Again, just my opinion. But, as an American Jew who feels absolute terror at the very thought of the possibility of Israel's annihilation, it does give me pause . . . .
By Erika Schwartz
Since my premise is (and always will be) that Israel's safety and continued existence should be a top priority of every Jew in the world, let me first address the obvious challenge question . . . . "Are you loyal to the United States or are you loyal to Israel?"
Sounds simple, doesn't it? Every loyal American's answer should be "My loyalty is to the USA first!"
But wait a minute. Take a step back and consider the very unique history of the Jews.
Throughout our history, regardless of how well we were treated or how welcome we felt in any country, we were eventually expelled/marginalized/murdered by our host country. Tough times inevitably led to "blame the Jews" and . . . as they say . . . the rest is history.
THAT is our history. Can you think of any other group of people who have had the same experience over and over again for thousands of years? I can't.
I don't expect the USA to herd us into ghettos or kick us out any time soon. But . . . .
So, for the sake of generations of Jews to come, I have to put Israel's continued existence at the top of my priority list. Radical, but that's my personal opinion.
So now let's explore the USA's relationship with Israel over the past 65 years.
In the early stages, the USA was very ambivalent about Israel. Although President Truman supported partition of Palestine and recognition of Israel, he was opposed by the Departments of State and Defense. Even after announcing recognition minutes after Israel declared her existence in May of 1948, the administration didn't immediately lift an arms embargo nor was an Israeli loan request granted until January 1949. Foreign aid to Israel was relatively minor until 1971 when it increased sharply to $600 million. Just a couple of years prior, the aid amounted to just $76 million.
Throughout most of the administrations, American Presidents have had to walk a thin line between supporting Israel and having access to oil fields controlled by Israel's often-hostile neighbors. In fact, in 1956 President Dwight Eisenhower came to the rescue of Egypt when Britain, France and Israel staged a "faux war" to wrest control of the Suez Canal away from Egypt. This was, in fact, the moment when the USA became a major player in the Middle East.
The Johnson administration was the first to give whole-hearted support to Israel after the Six-Day War. However, things got tense in 1970 during the Nixon administration when Israel refused to accept a plan put forth by Secretary of State William P. Rogers. Trying to calm the War of Attrition between Israel and Egypt, the Rogers Plan called for a 90 day cease-fire and a military standstill zone on each side of the Suez Canal.
In 1975 all U.S. arms shipments to Israel were halted when President Ford sent a letter to Prime Minister Rabin stating that "Israeli intransigence has complicated US worldwide interests."
The Carter administration was marked by Israel's agreement to full withdrawal from the Sinai, thus leading to the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty.
Many consider the Reagan years as the "most pro-Israel ever." Although there were many contentious issues (particularly over Israel's airstrike on the Iraqi nuclear reactor and Israel's siege of Beirut during the Lebanon War), the two countries shared similar perspectives on terrorism, security and the Soviet threat during the Reagan years. This led to extremely close ties and cooperation.
President George H.W. Bush began his presidency by signaling that Israel should "abandon its expansionist policies." The Persian Gulf War, however, brought the two countries closer together. For the most part, the Bush administration was not considered to have a particularly amicable relationship with the Likud government of Yitzhak Shamir.
President Clinton was witness to the Jordan-Israel peace treaty signing as well as producing the 1995 Interim Agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Although Clinton was critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu's policy of expanding Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, he was said to have a close relationship with Prime Minister Ehud Barak and mediated meetings between Barak and Arafat at the White House.
President George W. Bush established good relations with Israel's Prime Minister Sharon early in his presidency. However, Sharon accused the Bush administration of appeasing the Palestinians at Israel's expense in order to garner support for the USA's anti-terror campaign shortly after the September 11 attacks.
The most serious issue between Israel and the Obama administration (and arguably the most serious issue to face Israel in her entire short history) is the issue of Iran. In the view of Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Obama administration has not been willing to "draw a line in the sand" to make it absolutely clear when the United States would take military action to prevent the Iranians from developing a nuclear weapon. Since Iran's President Ahmedinajad has clearly stated that his country's intent is to "wipe Israel off the face of the earth", Prime Minister Netanyahu has become extremely frustrated with the Administration's position of " . . . watching very carefully what they do . . . ." There is tremendous pressure on President Obama, particularly from his political base, to not allow Israel to draw the USA into yet another Middle East war. Israel is clearly aware that this is not a war they can fight on their own.
So . . . here's my summary. No President has demonstrated a strong consistent commitment to the security of Israel. Some (such as Reagan) have come close. From what I've learned as I've studied this subject, it appears that the closer ties to Israel have come from Presidents who have had a stronger commitment to America's defensive strength. Again, just my opinion. But, as an American Jew who feels absolute terror at the very thought of the possibility of Israel's annihilation, it does give me pause . . . .