Israel takes strategic alliance with US for granted
Israel’s neutrality toward the crisis in Ukraine is a dangerous precedent in Israel's relations with the US, when taking into account that it can exist without Russia’s help, but not without American support.
This time, it’s not an anti-American declaration by a marginal, right-wing minister, which has been taken “out of context,” or leaked criticism by a senior minister against the US secretary of state.
The absence of Israel’s UN ambassador, Ron Prosor, from the vote condemning the Russian invasion of Crimea and declaring support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, is a milestone in Israel-US relations. In defense-diplomatic parlance, a no-confidence vote against the United States, at the height of a severe confrontation with Russia, is almost a declaration of cold war. After all, instructing a UN ambassador to “vote with his feet” on an issue which has serious diplomatic implications is not a decision that’s taken lightly. It’s one of those decisions made after detailed examination, internal deliberation and weighty consideration.
In recent years we’ve gotten used to seeing the (Israeli) tail wagging the (American) dog. But after a slight tug, it usually straightens up and calms down. As far as the confrontation over the Ukraine crisis between the two bulldogs, Israel has forgotten which of the two protects it. The strategic asset known as “the special relationship between the US and Israel” has become “a normal relationship between two states.”
In an early April interview on Israel’s Russian-language TV Channel 9, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman put the United States and Russia in the same place on Israel’s foreign relations scale. “We have a relationship of trust with the Americans and with the Russians, and our experience with both sides has been very positive,” said the man who is nowadays considered America’s favorite son.
