The US began supporting Israel after World War II with increasing levels when the country was considered “America’s battleship in the Middle East”.

Over the past week, although the international community has criticized Israel’s military moves in the Gaza Strip, killing nearly 230 Palestinians, US President Joe Biden and his administration still stick to the familiar scenario in the Gaza Strip. Washington, expressed clear support for Israel and its “legitimate right to self-defense” against Hamas rocket attacks.

The US even stopped the United Nations Security Council three times in a week from issuing a joint statement calling for a stop to violence between Israel and Palestine.

The support that the Biden administration gives to Israel seems to ignore the fact that the Jewish state has many advantages over the Palestinians, from military capacity, economic potential as well as resources. The White House also refused to listen to growing calls from progressive Democrats in the US Congress, arguing that Biden needed to take a tougher stance on Israel in the Gaza conflict.

Joe Biden, as US vice president, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem in March 2016. Photo: Reuters.

Joe Biden, as US vice president, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem in March 2016. Photo: Reuters.

The US began expressing support for Israel right from its founding in 1948, when former US president Harry Truman became the first world leader to recognize the Jewish state.

This support partly stems from personal relationships. Edward Jacobson, Truman’s former business partner, played an important role in laying the groundwork for US recognition of the state of Israel.

However, US support for Israel also stems from Washington’s strategic calculations. This happened right after World War II, when the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union was taking shape. The Middle East, with its large oil reserves and strategic waterways such as the Suez Canal, is considered an important battlefield for superpower hegemony influence. America took over the role of “mediator” of Western power in the Middle East from weakened European powers.

But at that time, America’s support for Israel was still not really clear. The United States became more interested in Israel after the 1967 war, when the Jewish nation defeated an Arab coalition led by Egypt, Syria and Jordan to occupy the rest of historic Palestine, as well as a territorial parts of Syria and Egypt.

Since then, the United States has acted decisively to support Israel’s military superiority in the region and deter hostile actions against it from the Arab world.

Israel then went on to win the 1973 war, clearly showing its superiority over the Egyptian and Syrian armies. In order to divide Egypt and Syria as well as weaken Soviet influence in the region, the United States took advantage of the results of the 1973 war to lay the foundation for a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, which was eventually agreed upon signed in 1979.

Since 1985, the US has provided nearly 3 billion USD in annual non-refundable aid to Israel, making this country the largest recipient of annual aid from Washington in the period 1976-2004, as well as the recipient Largest cumulative aid at $146 billion since World War II. 74% of this money must be used to buy American goods and services.

In 2016, President Barack Obama signed a defense agreement with Israel, providing $38 billion in US military assistance over 10 years, including funding for the Iron Dome missile defense system.

The US has funded Israel to develop Iron Dome since 2011 and to date, 55% of the system’s components are still being produced in the US. The US has so far provided a total of 1.6 billion USD for Israel’s Iron Dome system.

Currently, the US provides $3.8 billion annually to Israel, equivalent to 20% of the Jewish state’s defense budget and nearly three-quarters of US military finances abroad. Egypt and Jordan, two of Israel’s neighbors, were the next highest aid recipients at $1.3 billion and $350 million, respectively, in a policy aimed at ensuring their peaceful relationship with Israel.

In addition to financial and military aid, the US also supports Israel politically, using its veto power 42 times at the United Nations Security Council on resolutions related to Israel, out of 83 times. use this right of Washington. From 1991 to 2011, the US used 15 out of 24 vetoes to protect Israel.

Observers say Israel is a strategic ally of the United States and Washington’s relationship with the Jewish state aims to strengthen America’s presence in the Middle East. Israel is also one of America’s main non-NATO allies in the Middle East.

The late Republican senator Jesse Helms once called Israel “America’s battleship in the Middle East”, when explaining the reason why Washington views Israel as a strategic ally.

In addition to geostrategic significance, public opinion and political influence also play an important role in shaping US policy towards Israel.

American public opinion has long leaned toward Israel and does not have much sympathy for Palestine. Partly because Israel has an effective media apparatus, but shocking acts of violence by pro-Palestinian groups such as the 1972 Munich massacre, in which 11 Israeli Olympic athletes were murdered, has caused the majority of Americans to side with the Jewish nation.

Gallup polls in February this year showed that the proportion of Americans sympathetic to Palestine increased to 25%, 2% higher than the previous year and 6% higher than in 2018. However, Israel’s influence for American public opinion is huge. The Gallup poll also found that 58% of Americans sided with Israel, while 75% gave the country a favorable assessment.

In addition, a number of organizations in the US also campaign for Washington to support Israel, the largest and most powerful of which is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Members of the organization make an impact through organizing advocacy and fundraising events in the Jewish American community.

AIPAC even holds an annual conference in Washington with about 20,000 attendees, including many top American politicians. President Biden and former President Donald Trump were also present at this event. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is one of those who regularly attends.

The influence of groups like AIPAC on American politics is also significant. Pro-Israel groups in the US have donated millions of dollars to US federal political candidates. During the 2020 election campaign, these groups donated $30.95 million, of which 63% went to the Democratic party and 36% to the Republican party. This amount is double the amount raised in the 2016 election.

Israel today has diplomatic relations with most of the world, largely at the expense of the United States. Washington has made efforts to help Israel normalize relations and integrate with the world economy. Like many of its predecessors, the Biden administration also values ​​the “special relationship” with Israel.

In an article about policy with Israel earlier this year on the US State Department’s website, the agency said “Israel is a great partner of the US and Israel has no greater friend than the US. The Americans and Israel are united by our shared commitment to democracy, economic prosperity and regional security. The unbreakable bond between our two countries has never been stronger.”