It’s Time for Israel to Declare Its Independence
Yesterday, President Donald Trump warned that if Israel were to establish sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria—commonly called the West Bank—”Israel would lose all of its support from the United States.”
(Israel would lose ‘all support’ from the US if it annexes West Bank, Trump warns)
Unfortunately, this is far from the first time America has overstepped its bounds in its relationship with Israel. In recent years, Washington has repeatedly sought to force Israel’s hand—condemning construction in Judea and Samaria, pressuring it to slow military operations against terrorist groups, and even considering sanctions against Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
But this pressure is nothing new. Even in some of Israel’s most critical, life-or-death moments, the United States has harmed the Jewish state in the name of restraint. Washington played a major role in preventing Israel from launching a preemptive strike before the 1973 Yom Kippur War—an act of hesitation that cost thousands of Israeli lives. Then, when Israel managed to turn the war around and its counteroffensive surrounded Cairo, the U.S., through the United Nations, intervened again, calling on Israel to withdraw immediately without first securing a peace treaty. Had Israel conditioned its withdrawal on a formal end to hostilities—a cold peace with Egypt—it might have achieved normalization years earlier while retaining the Sinai under a lasting agreement. Instead, American diplomatic intervention forced a cease-fire before victory could be converted into leverage. These are only a few of countless instances where Washington has used its influence to dictate Israel’s internal affairs.
The U.S.–Israel relationship is often treated like that of a parent and child. Washington will provide Israel with its “toys,” but only if Israel behaves. Israel has grown far too dependent on those toys—and it is time to grow up.
The United States does not provide aid to Israel as charity. The alliance is mutually beneficial. During the Cold War, Israel offered Washington invaluable intelligence on the Soviet Union, providing real-world data on how American and Soviet weapons performed in battle. Even today, the partnership continues to deliver for both sides through weapons testing, defense strategy, and critical technological innovation.
Yet American military aid has also become a restraint. It accounts for only a fraction of Israel’s defense budget but restricts the country from developing much of its own weaponry, such as the Lavi fighter jet, and heavily limits the Jericho missile program. Given Israel’s record as a global innovation powerhouse, independently developing and exporting its own arms could strengthen both its economy and its security. Above all, it would free Israel from dependency on any other nation for its survival.
I am not suggesting the relationship be terminated. It remains deeply beneficial to both nations. But its terms—and its tone—must be rethought.
It is clear that annexing Israel’s rightful territory in Judea and Samaria is both morally and practically justified. Israel should do what is right for its own people and future.
If the United States decides it no longer wants the immense benefits it receives from its alliance with Israel—intelligence sharing, advanced technology, joint defense research, and a stable democratic partner in the Middle East—that is the prerogative of the U.S. government. But my hope is that this relationship grows stronger, built upon mutual respect and recognition of each nation’s sovereignty.
Israel’s friendship with the United States is valuable only when it strengthens Israel’s freedom—not when it dictates it. An alliance that undermines sovereignty is no friendship at all
Only then can the true aim of Zionism be realized: Jewish control over Jewish destiny, in the Jewish homeland—free of any foreign power.
