THE US IS ISRAEL’S ALLY, NOT ITS SPONSOR

By announcing U.S. troops would remain in the Middle East for Israel's benefit, President Trump inadvertently set the stage for Israel to be blamed for every American soldier killed

by Prof. Eyal Zisser

Israel Hayom
December 3, 2018

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump surprised quite a few people when he said that with Arab oil no longer a significant factor, the United States has no reason to remain in the Middle East, but U.S. forces would remain in the region out of a commitment to Israel. This statement comes a week after he said he would support Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, despite the prince's involvement in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi, in order to "ensure Israel's interests" in the region.

Indeed, Israel has a true friend in the White House who is deeply committed to its security.

But although this was certainly not the president's intention, these statements should be a warning sign for Jerusalem.

Ever since the U.S. became Israel's closest ally in the mid-1960s, Israel has made every effort to make it clear to the world that it would not ask American soldiers to fight its battles. This principle was also acceptable to U.S. administrations, Republican and Democrat alike, which were willing to provide Israel with financial aid and with the best of U.S. weapons and technology so that the Jewish state would maintain its qualitative edge over its enemies.

President Harry Truman was the first to recognize Israel when the state was established in 1948, despite serious opposition from the State Department and the Defense Department. Then-Defense Secretary James Forrestal feared the U.S. would be forced to send in troops to save the Jews, just as it did in World War II. He also claimed that Israel's establishment would destroy U.S.-Arab ties.

Over time, Israel proved it had the ability to defend itself and, beyond that, was a regional ally and genuine strategic asset for the United States. And as history has shown, U.S.-Israel ties did not harm the U.S. relationship with the Arab states.

But the winds of political division are now blowing through Washington. Democratic legislators attack longtime U.S. ally Saudi Arabia in an attempt to lay into Trump. Meanwhile, conservatives on the Republican side continue to insist the U.S. adopt a policy more focused on internal affairs.

Against the background of these attacks, the president chose to employ his "doomsday device" and explain that his foreign policy was aimed at protecting Israel.

However, this statement could make Israel a target for criticism, as from now on, it will be blamed for U.S. tax dollars being wasted overseas, and worse, will be held responsible for every American soldier killed across the Middle East.

Trump's statement is also problematic because it is not precise. The U.S. does not maintain a military presence in the Middle East because of Israel, but to protect its national security. It was when the U.S. ignored the fact that al-Qaida was establishing itself in Afghanistan that it found itself under attack by the organization in September 2001. A retreat to U.S. borders, then, does not guarantee immunity from the threat of terrorism and radical Islam. And if the United States considers itself to be a leading world power, it must necessarily intervene in overseas affairs.

It would be appropriate for Trump to emphasize that, unlike other U.S. allies such as Europe, Japan and South Korea, Israel does not require the protection of American soldiers. It is capable of defending itself and even assisting in the promotion of U.S. interests in the region and throughout the world.

That has always been Israel's unique advantage, and it should be noted in the heated internal debate now underway in Washington over U.S. foreign policy and America's role in the world.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The U.S. would be forced to send in troops to save the Jews, just as it did in World War II … Utter horseshit! The US sent its troops to Europe because, after Pearl Harbor, Hitler declared war on the US. If the US intended to save the Jews, it was a little late. On June 22, 1941, special German units, the Einsatzgruppen, set out to kill Jews in the occupied parts of the Soviet Union. And Chelmno, the first extermination camp, was established on December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor, to be followed by Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkenau and Majdanek. Hitler did not declare war on the US until December 11, 1941.

If the U.S. had wanted to save the Jews, it would have allowed Jewish refugees from the Nazi regime to enter this country. But they were refused unless they had a sponsor here. The U.S. even turned back a boatload of Jewish refugees, most of whom eventually died in Nazi death camps after being returned to Germany. My family was one of the few fortunate ones in that we had a sponsor in this country.

Israel is capable of defending itself only because it has nuclear weapons. Israel’s wars against Hezbollah and Hamas have not been that successful and Hezbollah is much stronger now.