How Strong is the Alliance between America and Israel?

The current war with Hamas began over six months ago and at its inception, the US was steadfastly supporting Israel. This support, however, has steadily begun to dwindle since that harrowing day on October 7th. Historically, the U.S. and Israel have been very close allies, but could the current wartime tensions push this alliance past its breaking point? 

The fallout following the strike that killed 7 aid workers has been exponential. 

An airstrike that killed seven WCK (World Central Kitchen) workers left the world in concerned shock and caused the U.S. to propose serious reprimands against Israel. Following the strike, Israel launched an investigation into the incident and claimed regretful responsibility for the workers’ deaths. The report included the events that led up to the strike, noting that two Hamas gunmen had been identified on one of the aid trucks. After the vehicles entered and then later left a warehouse, the IDF mistook the convoy for Hamas terrorists. Since then, multiple officers in the IDF have been dismissed from their position or reprimanded. 

The day prior to the released report from the IDF, President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a phone call with one another. During the press briefing following the call, it appears as though the U.S. is using this recent event as leverage to expound on what the U.S. has been saying for some time. Admiral John Kirby shared began the briefing by discussing the situation in Gaza:

“Now, as I’m sure you’re all aware, the President had a chance to speak with Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier today. On that phone call, the President emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza are unacceptable.”

“He made clear the need for Israel to announce and to implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.”

This is the same point the US has been hammering for months, so why reiterate it now? This conversation began to spiral into even worse anti-Israel rhetoric immediately following the prior statements:

“He made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps.”

This was the first clue that America’s support may be wavering. As the conversation between the two political heads went on, the US continued to encourage a ceasefire deal and discussed the recent threats from Iran. Later, President Biden expressed his strong support for Israel in the face of Iranian threats. However, his support seems to depend heavily on whether Israel does exactly what the US recommends. 

Following questions regarding Israel’s willingness to agree to a ceasefire, Kirby shared this with reporters: 

“What we want to see are some real changes on the Israeli side. And, you know, if we don’t see changes from their side, there will have to be changes from our side”.

“But I won’t preview what that could look like.”

This statement hints towards an extremely concerning question: “could the US withdraw its support of Israel?” The demands of the U.S. are as follows:

“Again, I’m — I’m — in terms of concrete steps, what we are looking to see and hope to see here in coming hours and days is a dramatic increase in the humanitarian assistance getting in, additional crossings opened up, and a reduction in the violence against civilians and certainly aid workers. We want to — we want to see that — that even as the Israelis work through their investigation that they are willing and able to take practical, immediate steps to protect aid workers on the ground and to demonstrate that they — that they have that civilian harm mitigation in place.”

“So, again, those are broad brushes. I’ll let the Israelis speak to what they will or won’t do here. But, again, in the coming hours and days, we will be looking for concrete, tangible steps that they’re taking.”

The conversation that took place on April 4th gave the impression that the US has given Israel a type of ultimatum that needs a response “in the coming hours and days”. 

Israel’s response on April 8th.

Netanyahu made this statement this past Monday following his phone call with Biden:

“Today I received a detailed report on the talks in Cairo – we are constantly working to achieve our goals, first and foremost the release of all our hostages and achieving a complete victory over Hamas.”

“This victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. It will happen – there is a date.”

This statement appears to be an attempt to appease the US, sending the message that Israel is still involved in the peace talks, but also relays Israel’s determination on eradicating the entirety of Hamas. The planned offensive against Rafah is in direct opposition with America’s wishes, but, as if to soften the blow, Israel sent 419 aid trucks, 330 of which contained food, into Gaza on the same day that Netanyahu shared his plans to enter Rafah. This number more than doubles the average of 140 food trucks that entered Gaza daily in March. 

What does this mean for the US-Israel alliance?

As of right now, there have been no definitive statements regarding the continuity of the bonds between Israel and the US, but the apparent threats against Israel by the mouths of US leadership hints toward a grim future between the two. If Israel’s strongest and most powerful ally were to place itself against Israel, this could potentially leave the Jewish nation in an extremely vulnerable position. On the contrary, if the US were to designate itself as a blatant enemy of Israel, God’s chosen people, this could lead to consequences for America. It is apparent in the Bible that placing oneself against Israel never bodes well for that nation. Ultimately, the question that remains is not if Israel will continue as a nation, but rather, if the US pulls its support from Israel, what will the outcome of this nation be? Would the US suffer the same fate as Babylon, Assyria, ancient Egypt, and numerous others? 

In every city in the US and across the world, it has become essential to vocalize your support of Israel, its intentions to dismantle Hamas, and its continuation of destroying Hamas strongholds in Gaza. In these particularly tense times, your voice is even more imperative in the “social war” that Israel is facing. Many of those alive today have not seen this level of fierce hatred against Israel and, hopefully, following a conclusion to the multifaceted war, will never see antisemitism roam this freely again. This halting of extreme anti-semitism, however, does not lie within the hands of Israel, but instead lies in the hands of each individual. The war against anti-semitism must be fought by you.