For the past several decades the centerpiece of the United States (US) Middle Eastern policy has been its relationship with Israel. The combination of unwavering support for Israel and the related effort to spread ‘democracy’ throughout the region has inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and jeopardized not only US security but that of much of the rest of the world. This situation is unparalleled in American political history. Throughout this paper we will explore some reasons why the United States has been willing to set aside its own security and that of many of its allies in order to advance the interests of another state. One might assume that the bond between the two countries was based on shared strategic and interests, or compelling moral imperatives, but neither explanation can account for the remarkable level of economic, military, and diplomatic support that the United States provides to the State of Israel. We’ll also explore how the United States’ strategic military operations in support of Israel, is in America’s national interest. The United States is now the world's only superpower; if it does not exert international leadership, what country will? No other state’s military has the will or the capability to take on such threats as those emanating from rogue states like Iraq, Iran, or North Korea; nor can any other deal with issues such as the spread of weapons of mass destruction, international terrorism, radical Islam, or international narcotics trafficking. In short, American leadership is essential. In order to play this leadership role, the U.S. government must have the resources necessary to construct a network of allies on which it can rely to help counter dangers quickly and effectively. An adequate foreign-aid program is one of these resources. Americans provide assistance not only because they are a generous people but because it is in their national interest to do so. Foreign assistance is a vital tool in strengthening bilateral relations with allies and helping them better prepare themselves for conflicts. If foreign aid makes sense in general, it certainly does for Israel in particular. Israel is located in the Middle East (Annex A). The Mediterranean Sea is Israel’s western border, Lebanon to the north, and to the northeast is Syria. Eastern Israel shares its border with Jordan running along the Jordan River. Israel’s southwest border is shared with Egypt. Israel was established on May 14, 1948. However, its territory has expanded past it initial borders set by the United Nations (UN) in its 1947 partition plan (US Department of State 2012). Israel now controls all of the Palestinian territories given to Arabs in the partition. The Middle East ranks as one of the most important strategic military areas for U.S. interests, yet as one of the world's most dangerous regions, its stability is hardly assured. Since the end of World War II, the region has been one of the most volatile flash points in the world, characterized by repeated episodes of large-scale warfare, enormously wasteful expenditures on arms and armies, threats of escalation to involve the major powers, and the disruption of international shipping and commerce (US Department of State). Every American president since Richard Nixon has actively pursued the elusive goal of a peaceful end to the Arab-Israeli conflict (Jewish Virtual Library). The Arab-Israeli peace process promotes three key U.S. foreign-policy objectives: greater regional stability, containment of radical forces and states, and security of the flow of Persian Gulf oil (Jewish Virtual Library). These bring enormous political, economic, and strategic benefits to the United States and its military. Another Arab-Israel war would risk disruption of the stability of the entire region, with a possible involvement of U.S. forces and an interruption in the supply of Middle East oil. Ending the Arab-Israeli conflict helps weaken such radical states as Iran, Iraq, and Libya; for as long as the conflict persists, the radical states can continue to exploit it to put pressure on pro-Western Arab moderates seeking accommodation with Israel (US Department of State). In this way, the peace process curbs some of the most dangerous post-cold war threats to American security. Bringing stability to the Middle East also reduces the threat of terrorism against Americans, expands Middle Eastern markets for U.S. exports, and provides new opportunities for U.S. investments. Support for aid to Israel to bolster the peace process enjoys bipartisan support in Congress. Senators Robert Dole and George Mitchell coauthored a letter to Prime Minister Rabin on May 4, 1994, which ninety-two senators signed: "As you work for peace and reconciliation, please know that we will continue to do our best to provide Israel with the economic and defense assistance it needs, because we believe a just and lasting peace can only succeed if Israel is strong and secure (US Department of State)." Israel's democratic nature makes it a particularly suitable recipient of U.S. assistance. As then presidential candidate Bill Clinton stated in September 1992, “Our relationship would never vary from its allegiance to the shared values, the shared religious heritage, the shared democratic politics which have made the relationship between the United States and Israel a special, even on occasion a wonderful, relationship. Our support of Israel would be part of all those shared things (Jewish Virtual Library 2012).” Any reduction in aid could endanger the peace process. The Israeli public and Arab parties alike would conclude that the U.S.-Israel bond may be eroding. This perception would undermine the Israelis' confidence in their American partner and reduce the Arab incentive to negotiate seriously with the Israelis. Most important, it would be virtually impossible to persuade the Israeli public to accept such territorial concessions at a time of cuts in U.S. assistance to Israel. A portion of U.S.-guaranteed loans are used to enlarge Israel's infrastructure -- roads, airports, electricity, and so forth. However, most of the funds raised through the guarantees are used to expand the pool of low-interest investment capital available to Israeli businesses. Easier access to this capital by businesses allows the economic absorption of immigrants to be driven by the private sector (Jewish Virtual Library 2012). By helping Israel in this way, American money helps serves American interests. The more successfully Israel absorbs its immigrants, the healthier its economy and the greater its strength. Such strength renders Israel an effective ally. Israel's heroic efforts to turn immigrants from the former Soviet Union into productive citizens reminds us that it, like the United States, Israel is a country of immigrants, most of whom have fled oppression. Providing refuge is only one of many values Israel shares with the United States. A reduction in U.S. aid would erode Israel's qualitative military edge, without which the Israelis would risk a deterioration in their ability to defend themselves. That would undermine Israel's effectiveness as a U.S. ally. Israel invests vast resources to fight radicalism, making the country a major partner for the United States. Terrorism originating in the Middle East reached America's shores in a major way in February 1993, with the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York (US Department of State). Israeli law-enforcement authorities work closely with their American counterparts to track Middle Eastern terrorism; Israel's skills, location and environment make its information on this threat of unrivaled value. Currently Israel maintains a direct and close strategic cooperation with the United States that has been immensely useful to the U.S. armed forces. It provides facilities for the storage and maintenance of U.S. materiel for American or Israeli use in a crisis situation at a key location. Should American military forces need to deploy in the Middle East, Israel has strategically located facilities to help support American forces operating in the eastern Mediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, southern Europe, or the Suez Canal. Indeed, the quality of Israeli facilities and military manpower is unsurpassed for its maintenance assistance, realistic training, and joint exercises with U.S. armed forces. Israel can regularly provide target ranges and training centers as well as expertise in fighting in extreme heat and desert conditions, advantages the U.S. armed forces have for many years made use of through joint training maneuvers with the Israeli armed forces (Jewish Virtual Library 2012). Israel also has great value to the United States as a port of call and training ground for U.S. troops. Utilizing local port and training facilities of capable allies such as Israel becomes more important as the U.S. defense budget continues to shrink, the number of U.S. naval vessels declines, and regional force-projection requirements increase. Israel's effectiveness as an American ally is directly related to U.S. aid. Without this military assistance, Israel would be forced to decrease its defense budget by nearly a third, seriously undercutting its military capabilities. The effects on Israel's critical defense related research and development activities, which receive a significant proportion of their funding from the U.S. aid, would be particularly grievous. Additionally, the repayment of Israel's old military debts through U.S. economic aid saves Israel from further large cuts in its military budget. Without America's assistance to Israel, and the political support underlying it, Israel would be hard put to preserve an effective military deterrent to regional aggression, and the United States would be unable to count on Israel for the many benefits of the strategic alliance between the two countries. The reduction or elimination of U.S. aid to Israel would undercut the vital U.S.-Israel relationship and thereby make it more difficult to achieve U.S. military objectives of over four decades standing. Because aid and military support to Israel contributes to stability in a key region full of real threats to U.S. security, it is hard to see a place where U.S. foreign assistance fulfills its mission more or is better spent. To sum it up, U.S. support, both financially and militarily to Israel does not spring from a moral commitment to the country or needs for objective security, instead is the product of perceived strategic interests of its own. “The future is probably beyond the horizon of our vision but not beyond the range of our control.” -Robert F. Kennedy

Annex A

References
Jewish Virtual Library. (2012). U.S.-Israel Relations. Retrieved from http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/israel/index.shtml
U. S. Department of State. (2012 February 22). Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3581.htm