WarSclerotic

Kerry, we hear you loud and clear, Israel Hayom, Dr. Gabi Avital, February 27, 2014

(General Robert E. Lee wrote to his son “Never do a wrong thing to make a friend or keep one; the man who requires you to do so is dearly purchased at a sacrifice.” That’s good advice for nations as well as people. — DM)

Night and day we are taught that the United States is Israel’s best friend. It is quite possible that this is historically true. It is quite possible that when the gains and losses are weighed up, Israel has benefited from its special relationship with the U.S.

A deeper examination, however, shows the State Department has been directly tied to every diplomatic and even economic initiative that has turned out to be a grave mistake. Is Kerry acting on his own accord? Is there a large conceptual gap between him and U.S. President Barack Obama? The answer to both questions is a resounding no.

Toward the end of the previous century, during a visit to the U.S. by Ariel Sharon, a disagreement emerged between him and several members of Congress over U.S. obligations toward Israel. The minimalists felt the U.S. owed Israel — for being an ally, a strategic asset, an intelligence provider and military testing ground — some $50 billion. The maximalists sought around $80 billion for these services. No gift is free.

Years passed, and Israel has taken giant strides away from being a strategic asset, primarily because of, as many predicted, the failure of the Oslo Accords. While some of Israel’s deterrent capabilities have vastly improved and pre-emptive strikes are occasionally carried out behind enemy lines — at least according to foreign reports — the actions of influential elements at home create the perception that Israel is more of a patron than an ally.

We recently learned that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is very much an American patriot, both as a citizen concerned for the welfare of his country and as a politician mainly concerned for his chair. A signed weapons deal between Israeli arms company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and India, estimated at billions of dollars, is now liable to be terminated due to pressure from Kerry and his cohorts. It is accepted practice to leverage connections, apply pressure and persuasion, even to offer monetary enticements, but this matter essentially runs deeper.

Night and day we are taught that the United States is Israel’s best friend. It is quite possible that this is historically true. It is quite possible that when the gains and losses are weighed up, Israel has benefited from its special relationship with the U.S.

A deeper examination, however, shows the State Department has been directly tied to every diplomatic and even economic initiative that has turned out to be a grave mistake. Is Kerry acting on his own accord? Is there a large conceptual gap between him and U.S. President Barack Obama? The answer to both questions is a resounding no.

Kerry’s conduct is merely an extension of the policy which clearly disregards the notion of a “brotherhood between nations” and instead revolves around clear egotistical interests. Obama’s conduct has lead the U.S. to major outside debt, as well as a regression from the principle of being the “world’s policeman,” which has in turn lead to a dramatic decrease in domestic weapons manufacturing. This is the root of Kerry’s concern. As far as we know, no connection has been made between the pressure on India and a diplomatic price Israel would have to pay in negotiations with the Palestinians. From another perspective, however, there is a clear connection.

Kerry is essentially saying loud and clear that America’s economic interests are more important than the natural partnership between friends. Therefore, this is an opportunity to put on the table what should already be clear: America’s aid to Israel in nothing more than a clause in the national budget under the foreign relations section, earmarked for purchasing precious real-time intelligence information, testing its military hardware in battlefield conditions and primarily to promote its sales of fighter jets, all of which Israel facilitates. The dependence on military aid handcuffs Israel in many areas, first and foremost in the fight for a foothold in various global markets. In these areas the U.S. meddles in every deal, in most cases providing a half-empty threat to develop and mass-produce the Javelin self-guided surface-to-surface anti-tank missile, the main competitor for Rafael’s Spike missile.

The day in which the aid, rather the payment owed to Israel, is paid in shekels and not another round of shopping in the U.S., Israeli industry in general and its military industry in particular will breathe a very large sigh of relief.

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