Should You Care about Israel?

From 2019 to 2021, I was the National Security Advisor to the President of the United States. During those two years I was preoccupied with one thing — assisting the president with keeping our nation safe.

Anyone who wants to do that, spends a lot of time thinking about Israel — for the simple reason that the Jewish State is vital to America’s security.

Israel is not much bigger than New Jersey. But because of where it’s located, its history, and its leadership in technology, Israel plays an outsized role in international politics.

Israel is located in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the world — the Middle East. If World War III ever happens, it is as likely to start there as anywhere. 

Iran, for example, is relentlessly seeking to develop nuclear weapons. It hasn’t been subtle about what it intends to do with them: destroy Israel.  Former Iranian President Rafsanjani even called Israel “a one bomb country,” referring to the damage one nuclear device would do to the geographically small nation.

Jerusalem isn’t going to sit back and allow Tehran to achieve its nuclear ambitions. 

And neither should the United States.  You don’t have to be a national security expert to understand why. First, Israel is a close ally. Second, Iranian nukes would cause chaos in the world.  

I’m often asked: why do we give Israel 4 billion dollars a year in security assistance when it already has such a strong military?   There are two answers to this question:  First, Israel has such a strong military, in part, because we are Israel’s partner.  Second, our investment in Israel’s defense is an investment in our own security. 

If we don’t want the Middle East’s problems like Iranian aggression to come here, we need to stop Iran there. Israel is helping us hold that line.

Israel’s modern history has been one of constant conflict with its neighbors. And, every one of those conflicts started with an attack on Israel. The country has been in three major wars for its survival: the Arab-Israeli War in 1948, the Six-Day War in 1967, and the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Israel has prevailed in every instance, in no small part because the US has stood by the Jewish state.  During both Republican and Democratic administrations, America has backed up Israel with financial aid and military equipment. But it’s Israel that has paid the heaviest price — the loss of her sons and daughters defending their freedom.

Even today, Israel is under the threat of constant rocket barrage from terrorists in places like Gaza and Lebanon.

Then, there’s Israel’s heritage. It is the birthplace of both Judaism and Christianity and, therefore, the birthplace of Western Civilization. We’re talking the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the Apostles. That’s one reason why hundreds of thousands of Americans visit Israel every year — to connect with their deepest roots. 

Even if America had no security interest in Israel, Israel’s history would be reason alone to want to keep it safe. To be cut off from the treasures of our cultural past is unthinkable. Israel protects those treasures, and we protect Israel.

There are also treasures of the modern kind. Israel is known as the “start up” nation because of its innovations in computers, medicine, and other sciences. If there is a rival to Silicon Valley, it’s Tel Aviv. The technology that you rely on every day — from your desktop computer to your mobile phone — was developed or enhanced in Israel.

In our strategic competition with China, the advantage of having Israel in our corner cannot be overstated.

I’ve made a rational case for why it’s in our national interest to back the Jewish State, so let me now make a personal one.  Israel holds a special place in my heart.

I love the country’s raucous democracy and free press. I admire its mix of modern and traditional life — from the vibrancy of Tel Aviv to the quiet of Jerusalem on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. I am awed by walking on the stones where Jesus once tread. I enjoy the falafel shops and the humus and the honeycombed streets of the Old City. Most of all, I am impressed by the grit, energy, and joie de vivre of the Israeli people. They live under a constant threat of terrorism, but they keep moving forward.

I’ve traveled to over 75 countries, and have enjoyed my time in most of them. But they all feel foreign. Israel feels like home. That might sound strange — but only to people who haven’t been there.

Let me make one final argument on Israel’s behalf.

Israel is.

We don’t question the legitimacy of Belgium or Mozambique or Thailand or any other country in the world. So, why is Israel’s legitimacy questioned? From the UN to college campuses, activists deny Israel’s right to exist.

Israel was an ancient country.  It now thrives as a modern democracy. It was established by the United Nations in 1948. Nine million people live there — Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Israel is, and always will be.