US Policy Towards Israel

Rachel Neuwirth at the American Spectator takes a critical look at US policy towards Israel.

Nevertheless our policy of selective silence remains largely unchanged. We still ignore the existential danger to Israel, our most loyal and most supportive ally. But we also deliver another unintended lesson to our enemies and to our few remaining friends. The lesson is that the U.S. will betray a loyal friend in order to appease an enemy in the hope that it will somehow work to our benefit. Egypt, Arabia, France, China, Russia and others all betray us and yet we call them friends and there is no price for them to pay. And then we wonder why so may nations feel entirely free to turn against us.

The main problem of US policy towards Israel has been not allowing Israel to win. Looking back through history, it is evident that negotiations have never produced a resolution of a major conflicts; the only resolution has been by complete and total victory of one side over the other. By not allowing Israel to achieve total victory the US has prolonged the Arab-Israeli conflict.

In the wars of 1956, 1967, and 1973 the US (and UN and USSR) intervened to produce a cease-fire. Instead of buying good-will from the Arabs by saving them from destruction on each of those occasions, these actions emboldened them and convinced them that they have nothing to fear. Instead of spurring negotiation and resolution of the conflict, it helped to create Arab intransigence. Clearly one aspect of this US policy during the Cold War had to do with avoiding a direct confrontation with the Soviet Union. But even with the demise of the USSR, US policy has continued to restrain Israel. Throughout the '90s Israel was repeatedly forced by the US to make concessions to the Palestinians in return for nothing. Once again, this did not buy good-will but only more demands ultimately culminating in the Oslo War. And even after the start this war by the Palestinians, the US continued to hold Israel back; every incursion was met with condemnation, every assassination of an arch-terrorist with "concern". Had Israel been allowed to destroy the terror groups 3 years ago, we would be much closer to peace than we are now. As it stands now, until the Palestinians understand that they are fully and totally defeated there can not be peace.