U.S. and Israel Grow Apart

Foreign Policy's David Rothkopf is worried about the drift in U.S.-Israeli relations:

Clearly this is a relationship in flux at a time when the stakes are high all around. And while there are no doubt many in the U.S. (and in the FP audience) who welcome the apparent changes, be careful what you wish for. One does not achieve "balance" in the U.S.-Israel relationship by off-setting the perceived "pro-Israel" slant of the past with a broadly "anti-Israel" stance today. Indeed, as any realist will tell you, we don't need balance for balance's sake. We need what will work to advance U.S. national interests.

The first thing to note about this is that there isn't a "perceived" pro-Israel slant in American policy. There is an objective pro-Israel slant. There's nothing wrong with that per-se, but it's important to emphasize that it's not a function of perception. It's the reality.

It's a further disservice to this debate to characterize those who want to recalibrate America's relationship with Israel as being "broadly anti-Israel." That sets up a convenient false choice: either you're a defender of the current "pro-Israel" status quo or you're throwing Israel under the bus. But surely there's a middle ground between the current status quo and a policy that could honestly be called "anti-Israel."

What's more, while I think Rothkopf is correct that the Israelis are not going to be in the mood to make concessions for peace if the U.S. is starting to take a less accommodating stance toward them, that's Israel's problem, not ours. They have to live with the Palestinians. If the Israelis want to "naturally" grow their settlements, let them. If the Palestinians want to wage war on Israel, or continue to make demands which the Israelis have repeatedly said they will not accede to, let them.

They have to live there, not us.