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The Israel-Gaza war has been a key area of criticism for US support of Israel recently, thanks to Israel’s relentless effort to undertake what many have called a ‘genocide’ in Gaza. In this article, we’ll look into the reasons why the United States insists on its support for Israel and why Israel is a key ally to the United States.
Military Might
The first and most important reason we see for US support for Israel, especially military support, is the fact that Israel’s military might is far beyond that of any other nation in the Middle-East.
Israel has perhaps what is the most well-trained, well-equipped, and highest impact military force in the entire region. The Israeli military is so consequential in that part of the world that a global superpower such as the United States sees the two nations’ alliance as key to maintaining global security.
Beyond its military, the Israeli also boast of some of the most powerful elite military and black ops forces in the world. Units such as ‘Sayeret Matkal’ are often compared to the British SAS and even the US Navy SEALs, and other US elite military units.
Intelligence Sharing
Apart from the importance of Israel’s military prowess, Israel boasts one of the world’s most consequential intelligence services, the Mossad. Similar to the American CIA and the British M15 and MI6, Mossad is very thorough in its intelligence gathering efforts, and the US sees their alliance as key to ensuring timely, concise, and well-gained intelligence sharing.
As a key ally of the US, Israel’s intelligence establishment can share information with the US intelligence services, and help avert any global security threats that may emerge from that part of the world.
The Israeli intelligence and military establishment is so powerful that back in 2008, it stopped Syria in its tracks, as the then Assad-led administration was acquiring help from North Korea to design a nuclear arms facility. Israel swooped in, relying on intelligence it had gathered, located the facility, and sent in F-15 and F-16 bombers to destroy it. Even more, when the Syrians tried to restart the program, Israel quickly sent snipers to eliminate the Syrian general who had spearheaded the entire nuclear project.
Strategic Location
Israel is also a key ally to the US thanks to its strategic location. Israel, as a neighbor to enemy nations to the US (such as Syria and Iran) plays a huge role in keeping the enemy in check on behalf of the US.
Beyond that, #Israel serves as a key strategic window to the entire Middle-East. With the rise of terrorism, and with terrorist threats to the US from groups such as the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, the importance of Israel as a key strategic and security ally has only grown.
If and when the US needs to strike enemy forces, moreover, they know that they can rely on Israel to gather intelligence, conduct strikes on their behalf, and even put in place mechanisms to weaken enemy nations from the region. This is clearly seen when it comes to nuclear weapons development.
As in the case with Syria, America knows that it can rely on Israel to ensure that none of its enemies develops nuclear weapons, which would risk the national security and safety of Americans; and the entire Western Hemisphere.
The Jewish Community’s Financial Wherewithal
Predominantly Jewish, Israel’s financial wherewithal cannot be ignored. Even within the United States, the Jewish community makes up a good portion of elite wealth, money that is crucial for both economies. The Jewish community has grown to become very wealthy, thanks to their roots in the banking business from as far back as the middle-ages.
With this support from extremely wealthy Jews living in America and elsewhere, the United States doesn’t have much of an option but to support Israel, and ensure that the Jewish community’s wealth stays invested in the US, and in other allied nations.
The influence of this wealth can especially be seen when it comes to political campaign funding, with Jewish and Jewish-backed groups among key campaign donors. It is also apparent in policy and industry lobbying, with organizations such as APAC doing much of Israel’s bidding in the US Congress.
Ideological Alignment
Israel, as one of the non-Muslim nations in the Middle-East, is among a few, if not the only, nation that is ideologically aligned with the United States and the Western Worldview. This ideological alignment can be most appreciated as shared values of Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity.
You could argue that Israel isn’t so much a fan of freedom looking at what they’ve done to Gaza but, from Israel’s view, their belief in freedom is the belief that Israelis should be free to live, work, and prosper anywhere. Unfortunately, that also includes Palestine, but Israel’s dominance is key to their beliefs of who they are.
As such, the United States sees Israel as an important ideologically-aligned player in the Middle-East. A regional player that shares their beliefs and is a strategically located nation through which the US can exert its power in the region.
Population Ties
A good number of American citizens are of Jewish descent and believe that their ancestral home is in Israel. These population ties predispose the American establishment to ensure support for Israel, especially since the Jewish community in America is key to the country’s economy. When some of the biggest financial players in the world have roots both in Israel and the US, then it only makes sense for the two nations to work together to support the vision of a future of shared progress.
Related: What Jews in the Diaspora think of the Israel-Gaza War
Last but not least, the US and Israel share key security and financial interests in the Middle-East. Both Israel and the United States face the risk of military action from Syria and Iran. They both are also opposed and at risk of terrorist attacks from terrorist groups from the region (such as Hezbollah). It, therefore, only makes sense for them to be allied in combating this threat.
The two nations also share common financial interests in the Middle-East, as stipulated earlier, and therefore, are stronger together than apart. Israel also relies heavily on US military support to maintain its military dominance in the region, and to keep off bad actors or enemy nations that may compromise its national security.
Related: The Rise of Hezbollah: The CIA’s Role in Unmasking and Battling a Global Threat
This symbiotic relationship and the dual reliance of the two nations are key to, what both countries believe, is securing their future.
