This past Sunday, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey met with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Israeli Defense Force Lieutenant Benny Gantz in order to coordinate a joint special air defense drill. Three thousand American soldiers will partake in this drill alongside thousands of Israeli soldiers, pilots and sailors in the largest military exercise of its kind in history. Israel, pronounced by both presidential candidates as our greatest ally in the region, is one of the United States’ closest allies in the world overall. “Unshakable” is the term that President Barack Obama fancies in reference to our bond with Israel. Clearly, ties between these two countries are deeply bound. Some who are unfamiliar with the Land of Milk and Honey often wonder why.
Firstly, Israel’s moral, political and social landscapes bear much semblance to the good ol’ U.S. of A. It is evident that neither country is without its faults. The emphasis placed on social services, higher education and democratic, progressive values has forged an inextricable link between Israel and the States. In a recent Time Magazine study, Israel was found to be the second-most educated country in the world based on the percentage of citizens with a college degree. The United States came in fourth. Among a cornucopia of American hubs, Israel’s most heralded cultural hot-spot, Tel Aviv, also consistently places as one of the top gay-pride cities in the world. Additionally, our simultaneously booming tech industries bring the countries closer together. In an Askmen.com study identifying the most high-tech metropolises around the globe, the San Francisco Bay Area placed among the highest in the world and Tel Aviv also took a spot in the top 10.
Secondly, in an extremely volatile region of the world, Israel is a channel through which the United States is able to maintain security in the Middle East. The tallest towers used for radar in the world, at the Dimona Radar Facility in the south of Israel, are staffed by U.S. military in order to track down and intercept incoming ballistic missiles. Our nations’ military bases are so linked that, should Israel feel the need to strike in order to stave off the Iranian nuclear threat, the Iranian regime has vowed to target the United States’ bases in the region. The United States has also employed Israeli military technology in Iraq to detect and avoid Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) that have been responsible for innumerable American casualties.
It should also be noted that a large reason that the United States and Israel enjoy such a special relationship stems from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. The bi-partisan AIPAC just so happens to be the second-most powerful lobbying group in Washington, D.C. and is a major reason why aid to Israel will always be a priority on the US agenda.
Within the next three months, both the United States and Israel will hold major elections. Although Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney has accused President Obama of putting daylight between the United States and Israel, it is blatantly obvious that the United States is committed to Israel’s safety and security. Regardless of the outcomes of either country’s elections, our friendship with Israel will not dwindle, our partnership will not diminish.
It is not without precedent that terrorist organizations and antagonistic national regimes seek to jeopardize the stability of the world. History repeats itself and it will continue to do so. Riots and bloodshed have marred the global landscape over the last decade. In these ominous times, both the United States and Israel are fortunate to mutually benefit from an “unshakable,” lasting partnership.
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