Our US Allyship Must Be Protected

Hamas and Hezbollah have one common thread: Iran, which provides them with funding and other types of support.

In order to achieve security, Israel must go after Iran, which ultimately, is a far more lethal enemy than its proxies, and may be very close to acquiring nuclear weapons.

In order to weaken Iran, we need an international coalition of Western states (and perhaps also: Sunni Arab states) that can provide intelligence, weapons, and other types of aid in defeating Iran, and who can help to impose sanctions and cut off Iran’s funding.

Key among these Western states is the United States, which stands as de facto leader of the Western world.

This means it is in Israel’s strategic interest to strengthen its allyship with the USA.

When faced with a choice – US-backed cease-fire in Lebanon or in Gaza vs. continued fighting -the question is not just whether it is in Israel’s best interest to cease fire or to continue fighting, but also, whether the continued fighting would achieve enough that it is worth risking the US-Israel relationship.

There is also an additional reason that the US allyship is a key Israeli strategic interest: Weapons. Without military aid and weapons from the US, we literally would not have the tools we need for our soldiers to fight or for the air defense systems that keep our civilians safe from enemy missiles.

Yet Bibi and his government continue to alienate the US, in a few ways:

1. Flip-flopping on US-led cease-fire agreements in Gaza and in Lebanon, agreeing to one thing when talking to the US, and then changing his mind when he sees the political pressure he faces in Israel.
2. Publicly criticizing the US government
3. Allowing extremists to perpetuate price tag attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank
4. Failing to demonstrate that Israel is taking adequate precautions to protect civilian life and provide humanitarian aid in Gaza
5. Failing to think critically about and provide a day-after plan in Gaza that is open to a path to eventual Palestinian self-governance.

These are just a few main examples. The question is: Can we as Israelis afford to have a Prime Minister who risks our allyship with the US, as we face our greatest crisis since 1948?

If you, as I do, believe that the answer to this question is no, then it is imperative that we advocate for elections now, before it is too late.