CRS issue brief

Israeli-U.S. relations are an important factor in U.S. policy in the Middle East, and Congress has placed considerable emphasis on the maintenance of a close and supportive relationship.The main vehicle for expressing support for Israel has been foreign aid; Israel currently receives about $3 billion per year in economic and military grants, refugee settlement assistance, and other aid.Congress has monitored aid closely along with other issues in bilateral relations, and its concerns have affected Administration's policies.U.S.-Israeli relations have evolved from an initial American policy of sympathy and support for the creation of a Jewish homeland in 1948 to an unusual partnership that links a small but militarily powerful Israel, dependent on the United States for its economic and military strength, with the U.S. superpower trying to balance competing interests in the region.Some in the United States question the levels of aid and general commitment to Israel, and argue that a U.S. bias toward Israel operates at the expense of improved U.S. relations with various Arab states.Others maintain that democratic Israel is a strategic ally; they further argue that U.S. relations with Israel strengthens the U.S. presence in the IB82008 01-10-05 CRS-1 MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTSOn January 10, 2005, the Knesset voted 58 to 56 with six abstentions to approve the new coalition cabinet formed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.The coalition includes 21 members of the Labor party, eight of whom will have seats in the cabinet, and five members of the United Torah Judaism party, none of whom will sit in the cabinet.Thirteen of the 40 members of Sharon's Likud party voted against the coalition because they disagree with the Prime Minster's plan to withdraw Israel from the Gaza Strip. BACKGROUND AND ANALYSISPresident Harry Truman recognized Israel on May 15, 1948, within minutes after Israel declared its independence.Past American presidents, encouraged by active support from civic groups, labor unions, political parties, and members of the American and world Jewish communities, supported the concept, articulated in Britain's 1917 Balfour Declaration, of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.After World War II, United States support for a Jewish state grew with the desire to help settle the large number of Jewish refugees, displaced persons, and survivors of the Nazi holocaust.Popular support for Israel among U.S. Jews and significant segments of the Christian community has been supplemented by a general identification with Israel as an advanced democratic society with strong liberal and humanitarian values, as a "pioneering" and innovative nation, and as a beleaguered refuge surrounded by hostile and belligerent Arab neighbors.In the past, U.S. Middle East interests included containing Soviet expansion into the region, ensuring industrialized countries' access to Middle Eastern petroleum resources, fostering the growth of democracy and market economies, maintaining communications and trade with the region, and ensuring Israel's security.On occasion, the United States provided military forces to defend Middle Eastern states, as was the case in Lebanon in 1958, the Kuwait tanker reflagging in 1987, or the war against Iraq in 1991.Israel's military and intelligence capabilities and strategic location contributed to the U.S. objective of containing Soviet expansion into the region.But friendly U.S.-Israeli ties did not advance other U.S. interests in the Middle East.As U.S. relations with Arab nations grew in importance, the United States attempted to balance its stated commitment to Israel with other regional commitments and interests.Israel and the United States share the view that the United States has a predominant role and responsibility in Middle East peace-making, but Israel has disagreed with the U.S. view of its role as an even-handed peace broker among the parties to Arab-Israeli disputes.Most Israelis and Israeli supporters have wanted the United States to favor only Israeli positions.U.S. arms transfers to Arab countries have been striking examples of friction in Israeli-U.S. relations because they underscore the difference in attitudes toward Arab countries and because Israel perceived arms transfers to Arabs as threatening its security.IB82008 01-10-05 1 Jonathan Pollard was arrested for passing classified information to Israel.See CRS Report RS20001, Jonathan Pollard: Background and Consideration for Presidential Clemency. CRS-2 Israel and Recent U.S. AdministrationsCarter Administration (1977Administration ( -1981) ) The Carter years were characterized by very active U.S. involvement in the Middle East peace process, and, as a consequence, led to some friction in U.S.-Israeli bilateral relations.The Carter-initiated Camp David peace process was viewed by some in Israel as creating U.S. pressures on Israel to withdraw from occupied territories and to take risks for the sake of peace with Egypt.President Carter's support for a Palestinian "homeland" and for Palestinian political rights created additional tensions.Some argue that the final text of the Camp David accords represented Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin's success in limiting Israeli requirements to deal with the Palestinians.

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