An alliance is a formal agreement between two or more countries, organizations, or entities to cooperate and work together to achieve common goals, interests, or security objectives. NATO is a mutual defense military alliance. It was established in 1949 after a treaty agreement passed the United States Senate by a two-thirds vote and it was signed by member nations.
The United States and Israel have a strategic partnership since the State of Israel was established in 1948, but they never signed a treaty creating a formal alliance. Israel may be a “friend” of the United States, but it is not an ally. I put “friend” in quotes, because the current government of Israel in not a very good friend of the United States. It pursues policies that run counter to U.S. interests in the Middle East and around the world and it meddles in U.S. politics to create partisan political tension and influence elections. Foreign interference in United States elections is a federal crime.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is accused of war crimes by the International Court of Justice, should never have been invited to address a joint session of Congress. His speech to Congress and the assassination by Israel of a Hamas negotiator in Iran were further efforts to torpedo cease fire talks in Israel’s war on Gaza and an effort to manipulate the United States into a broader Middle Eastern conflict. The United States continues to arm Israel for the Netanyahu-led war on Gaza, despite opposition from tens of thousands of Israelis who oppose his military strategy and are demanding an immediate cease fire that would allow for the return of October 7th hostages held by Hamas. Netanyahu is not a friend of the United States, and he is hated by many Israelis.
Israeli actions using American supplied weapons have killed over 40,000 people in Gaza, mostly unarmed civilians, in a war seemingly without end. The United States keeps pressing Israel to negotiate a cease fire with Hamas, which governed Gaza before the latest war broke out after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, but Israel has always found an excuse to prevent any settlement.
In addition to its actions in Gaza, Israel has systematically violated the rights of Palestinians on the West Bank in territory Israel has occupied since 1967 and where it has established illegal Israeli settlements in violation of international law. While Israel claims there will eventually be some kind of resolution on the West Bank, the goal of members of the Netanyahu cabinet is to annex the territory and expel Palestinians. Scathing reports on Israel’s behavior on the West Bank have been reported on in the New York Times and on John Oliver’s weekly HBO program. After a recent Israeli attack on an aid caravan bring food and fuel to a hospital, France accused Israel of “worsening a climate of unprecedented instability and violence.” Great Britain announced it was “deeply concerned by the ongoing IDF military operation in the occupied West Bank” and suspended arms export licenses to Israel because of a “clear risk” these weapons could be used in serious violation of international humanitarian law. Meanwhile, the U.S. remains silent.
If Israel is truly an American “friend,” the United States has the ability to apply much greater pressure to force Israel to accept a cease fire in Gaza and the creation of a Palestinian state on the West Bank. As of February 2022, Israel received over $150 billion from the United States, making it the largest recipient of U.S. military aid. Since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the United States has given Israel an additional $12.5 billion in military aid. However, under the 1997 Leahy Law, the United States cannot provide security assistance to foreign governments or groups when there is “credible information” they are committing “gross violations of human rights.” If Israel does not stop, the United States must stop funding its actions.
Israel also receives somewhere between $2.5 and $6 billion annually from American individuals and organizations. Groups that provide Israel with major funds include AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee); Jewish Federations of North America; Birthright Israel; and Christian Zionist organizations like Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Invoking Executive Order 13224 (2001), intended to block funds that could be used to finance terrorist activities, would enable the United States government to stop public and private aid to Israel until it agreed to a cease fire in Gaza and formation of an independent Palestinian state on the West Bank. In addition, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) can impose sanctions on Israel. This would freeze its assets in the United States and prohibit Americans from doing business there.
AIPAC’s Super PC United Democracy Project spent almost $9 million defeating Missouri Congressional Representative Cori Bush in a Democratic Party primary because of her opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza, which she has described as a genocide. Because she is African American, as part of its strategy, AIPAC created a front group, the National Black Empowerment Action Fund, to campaign against Bush. AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups spent a combined $17 million in a successful effort to defeat Congressman Jamaal Bowman in a Democratic Party primary in June because he called for a cease fire in Gaza.
Despite the enormous funding being used to influence opinion and silence dissenters, according to a June CBS News Poll, over 60% of Americans believe the United States should stop sending weapons and supplies to Israel as long as its war on Gaza continues. Sixty-two percent supported sending humanitarian aid to Palestinians under attack.
In her acceptance speech, Kamala Harris reiterated the three foundations of the Biden-Harris administration’s policy on Israel, Gaza, and Palestine. The U.S. remains a strong supporter of Israel’s right to self-defense; the U.S. continues to press for an immediate cease fire in Gaza to protect civilians and permit the return of hostages; and the U.S. endorses the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. No U.S. actions against Israel and pro-Israel lobbying groups would be necessary if Israel acted responsibly on the West Bank and in Gaza and it decides to be truly a friend of the United States.
