NY Jewish Week: The Real US-Israel Relationship

David Streeter — January 13, 2010 – 5:05 pm | Barack Obama | Foreign Policy | Israel Comments (0) Add a comment

The Jewish Week published an editorial about the current state of the US-Israel relationship:

A little news item caught our attention the other day. ‘US to double weapons stockpile in Israel,’ JTA reported, adding that ‘Israel would be allowed to use the equipment in a military emergency.’

What is striking is how that news highlights a yawning gap between what we read on a daily basis about a US-Israel relationship that, if you believe some commentators, is always on the verge of unraveling, and the everyday reality of two countries with critical interests in common and a growing nexus of relationships for collaborating and cooperating.

We in the Jewish community hold US-Israel political relations under a microscope, often using lenses that distort our view according to the latest spin by those with a vested interest in fostering a sense of constant crisis.

But:

On a more tangible level - the daily contacts between US and Israeli diplomats, the vast web of military interactions in the strategic realm, expanding economic ties - the working relationship between the two allies may be closer than ever.

And:

... it’s easy to be misled by the daily dose of tzuris in headlines about US-Israeli relations. In so many cases where it really counts, they are stronger than ever and it is important to remind ourselves of that reality.

 

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