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Why the US-Israel Alliance Is More Vital Than Ever
An Israeli flag and an American flag fly at Abu Dhabi International Airport before the arrival of Israeli and U.S. officials, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates August 31, 2020. REUTERS/Christoper Pike
When the United States unleashed the GBU-57 “bunker buster” on Iran’s fortified nuclear sites during the recent Middle East conflict, it didn’t just send shockwaves through the Middle East.
Although Trump made it clear that the strike was to serve American interests, and not Israel — many still claimed Trump acted on Israel’s behalf. This reignited an old debate here at home: Why, exactly, is America so committed to Israel?
For critics, the answer is always the same: shadowy influence from pro-Israel lobbying groups, with AIPAC cast as the chief culprit. It’s the same tired script — a blend of conspiracy and double standard — that’s been dusted off for decades with one recent example being the 2003 Iraq War.
But the reality, if we take the time to look, is starkly different: this alliance is one of the most mutually beneficial relationships in US foreign policy. It strengthens US security, boosts the US economy, and reflects hard-earned historical lessons about what happens when the Jewish people are left defenseless.
The Numbers Tell the Story
A 2016 RAND Corporation study found that for every dollar America spends on overseas security commitments, it gains roughly three dollars in economic return. US military alliances aren’t charity — they’re investments. And the US–Israel partnership is a textbook example.
Former CIA leaders have called Israel’s intelligence sharing the equivalent of “having five CIAs” working for us — a force multiplier against threats like Iran’s nuclear program and global terrorism. Israel’s battlefield innovations in counter-terrorism and urban warfare have directly shaped US Special Operations tactics.
Our defense industries benefit, too. Israel’s real-world use of F-16s and F-35s has saved US manufacturers billions in R&D by identifying upgrades and fixes under combat conditions. Joint projects like Iron Dome don’t just protect Israeli civilians — 60–70% of US funding for those systems goes straight into American factories, supporting millions of jobs.
It’s true that AIPAC is a high-profile advocacy organizations in Washington. In the 2023–24 cycle, its Super PAC spent about $37.9 million, and its traditional PAC gave around $3 million directly to candidates. That’s large compared to other diaspora advocacy groups — but it’s neither secretive nor foreign-funded. Every dollar comes from US citizens, and every activity falls within American campaign finance law.
And AIPAC is hardly unique in concept. Armenian-American groups advocate for strong US–Armenia ties. Cuban-American PACs promote pro-democracy policies for Cuba. The difference is scale, not kind — and scale reflects donor engagement and organizational focus, not hidden control.
The Historical Imperative
If the alliance were only about economics and security, it would still be worth defending. But history gives it an even deeper resonance.
The modern Zionist movement took shape in the ashes of antisemitic violence long before the Holocaust. After the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881, Russian Jews endured brutal pogroms and the May Laws, which stripped them of basic rights.
When they tried to flee, the West often slammed its doors. Britain’s 1905 Aliens Act targeted poor Jewish refugees. America’s 1924 Johnson-Reed Act imposed harsh quotas that shut out Eastern European Jews entirely.
By the time the Evian Conference met in 1938, as Nazi persecution intensified, 32 nations expressed sympathy but refused to meaningfully raise immigration quotas. The following year, the MS St. Louis — carrying over 900 Jewish refugees — was turned away by Cuba, the US, and Canada. Many passengers were later murdered in the Holocaust.
Even after 1945, Jewish survivors faced pogroms in Eastern Europe — the Kielce massacre of 1946 being the most infamous. It became clear that without a sovereign state, Jews would always be at the mercy of others’ borders, policies, and prejudices.
Israel in Global Context
The displacement that accompanied Israel’s birth in 1948 was tragic — but it was not unique. In the same post-WWII period, 14.5 million people were displaced during the India–Pakistan partition, and 12 million ethnic Germans were expelled from Eastern Europe. Around 700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled during Israel’s War of Independence; somewhat concurrently, roughly 850,000 Jews fled or were expelled from Arab and Muslim countries, most finding refuge in Israel.
Seen in that context, Israel’s founding fits into a broader historical pattern of population transfers aimed at resolving ethnic conflict — not as an unprecedented singular event.
A Partnership of Equals
Some in Israel now question whether US aid — $3.8 billion annually under the current Memorandum of Understanding — comes with too many strings attached. Likud MK Amit Halevi has suggested phasing it out to remove the leverage that Washington can exert on Israeli policy.
That’s a legitimate debate, and many in Washington, including at the Heritage Foundation, agree that the alliance should evolve toward a partnership of equals. But equal does not mean distant. It means recognizing the immense value each side brings — and ensuring the relationship continues to serve both nations’ interests.
The Iran strike wasn’t just a military operation — it was a real-time demonstration of what this alliance can do when the stakes are highest.
For America, the US–Israel relationship delivers intelligence, technology, and economic returns that far exceed its costs. For Israel, it offers a trusted partner that shares its democratic values and understands the lessons of history: that Jewish sovereignty is not optional, but essential.
In a world where both our nations face rising threats — from Tehran’s nuclear ambitions to the spread of terrorism — the case for this alliance has never been clearer.
Alexander Mermelstein, a recent USC graduate with a Master’s in Public Policy and Data Science, is an aspiring policy researcher focused on Middle East affairs and combating antisemitism.
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Norway Wealth Fund Excludes Six Israeli Companies Linked to West Bank, Gaza
A view shows the building of Norway’s central bank (Norges Bank) in Oslo, Norway, June 23, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Victoria Klesty
Norway‘s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, will exclude another six Israeli companies with connections to the West Bank and Gaza from its portfolio following an ethics review, it said on Monday.
The $2 trillion wealth fund did not name the companies it had decided to exclude but said they would be made public, along with specific reasons, once the divestments were completed.
One possibility is they include Israel’s five largest banks, which have been under review by the fund‘s ethical watchdog.
Separately, the fund said it had also sold stakes in six other companies following a decision last week to only hold stakes in Israeli companies that are part of the fund‘s benchmark index.
As of Aug. 14, the fund had 19 billion crowns ($1.86 billion) invested in 38 companies listed in Israel, the fund‘s operator Norges Bank Investment Management said, a reduction of 23 companies since June 30.
“More companies could be excluded,” Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg told reporters.
ETHICS REVIEW
The fund launched an urgent review earlier this month after reports that it had built a stake in an Israeli jet engine group that provides services to Israel’s armed forces, including the maintenance of fighter jets.
The reports spurred a fresh debate about the fund‘s investments in Israel and the Palestinian territories ahead of elections on Sept. 8, with some parties calling for the fund to divest from all Israeli companies, a step the government has ruled out.
Norway‘s parliament in June rejected a proposal for the fund to divest from all companies with activities in the Palestinian territories.
“This debate helps sharpen our practices,” said Stoltenberg.
Critics say only a complete withdrawal from investing in Israeli companies would protect the fund against possible ethical breaches.
Stoltenberg said that, from now on, the ethics watchdog and NBIM would have more frequent and faster exchanges of information to more rapidly identify problematic companies.
Ethical exclusions from the fund are based on recommendations from the fund‘s watchdog, though NBIM can also divest from companies if it assesses that a company poses too much of a risk to the fund, whether the risk is ethical or not.
“With more exchanges of information between the Council on Ethics and Norges Bank, it is possible that there could be more divestments of that kind in future,” said Stoltenberg.
Last Monday, the fund announced it was terminating contracts with all three external asset managers who handled some of its Israeli investments.
($1 = 10.1890 Norwegian crowns)
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Iran Says It Will Continue Talks With IAEA After Curbing Access
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi meets with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 14, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iran will continue talks with the UN nuclear watchdog and the two sides will probably have another round of negotiations in the coming days, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state media on Monday.
International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have been unable to access Iran‘s nuclear sites since Israel and the US bombed them during a 12-day war in June, despite IAEA chief Rafael Grossi stating that inspections remain his top priority.
“We had talks [with the IAEA] last week. These talks will continue and there will be another round of talks between Iran and the agency probably in the coming days,” Baghaei said.
Tehran has accused the IAEA of effectively paving the way for the Israel-US attacks with a report on May 31 that led the IAEA‘s 35-nation Board of Governors to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
The Islamic Republic has long denied Western suspicions of a covert effort to develop nuclear weapons capability, saying it remains committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty that mandates peaceful uses of atomic energy for signatories.
“The level of our relations [with the IAEA] has changed after the events that took place, we do not deny that. However, our relations…remain direct,” Baghaei said during a televised weekly news conference.
Last month, Iran enacted a law passed by parliament suspending cooperation with the IAEA. The law stipulates that any future inspections of Iranian nuclear sites needs approval by Tehran’s Supreme National Security Council.
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US Envoy Says Israel Should ‘Comply’ With Lebanon Plan to Disarm Hezbollah
US Ambassador to Turkey and US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack speaks after meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in Beirut, Lebanon July 21, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Top US envoy Thomas Barrack said on Monday Israel should comply with a plan under which Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah would be disarmed by the end of the year in exchange for a halt to Israel‘s military operations in Lebanon.
The plan sets out a phased roadmap for armed groups to hand in their arsenals as Israel‘s military halts ground, air, and sea operations and withdraws troops from Lebanon‘s south.
Lebanon‘s cabinet approved the plan‘s objectives earlier this month despite Iran-backed Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm, and Barrack said it was now Israel‘s turn to cooperate.
“There’s always a step-by-step approach, but I think the Lebanese government has done their part. They’ve taken the first step. Now what we need is Israel to comply with that equal handshake,” Barrack told reporters in Lebanon after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Barrack described the cabinet decree as a “Lebanese decision that requires Israel‘s cooperation” and said the United States was “in the process of now discussing with Israel what their position is” but provided no further details.
Under phase 1 of the plan, which was seen by Reuters, the Lebanese government would issue a decision committing to Hezbollah’s full disarmament by the end of the year and Israel would cease military operations in Lebanese territory.
But Israel has continued strikes against Lebanon in the weeks since the cabinet approved the plan.
In a written statement after his meeting with Barrack, Aoun said that “other parties” now needed to commit to the roadmap’s contents.
Calls for Hezbollah to disarm have mounted since a war with Israel last year killed 5,000 of the group’s fighters and much of its top brass and left swathes of southern Lebanon in ruins.
But the group has resisted the pressure, refusing to discuss its arsenal until Israel ends its strikes and withdraws troops from southern Lebanon.
On Friday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem raised the specter of civil war, warning there would be “no life” in Lebanon should the state attempt to confront or eliminate the group.