Opinion | Columnists
Israel's strategic alliances
Tel Aviv has long depended on Washington, but it may start to look elsewhere for support
- By Mohammad Akef Jamal, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 23:01 August 17, 2009
Despite Israel's isolation since its establishment, it remains an important player in Middle Eastern political issues. This is because the country's leadership has always been careful to build strong bonds with the major international players in the region.
The Jewish minorities in most countries around the world have risen to political and economic prominence and so acquired the ability to influence the decision-making process to favour Israel's interests and security. Jews maintain an important presence in ruling establishments in capitalist and socialist countries alike.
Israel pegged its national security on a close alliance with the US after the influence of both the UK and France on the international scene declined. Hence, Israel was able to widen the circle of its international influence, especially after many of its opponents either gave up their confrontational strategies or were swept aside in a process of regime change.
Israel won its major military victory in 1967, thanks to its alliance with the US, and the Arab world is still licking its wounds as a result.
But despite its strong relations with the US, Israel has never publicly taken a strong stand against any major power, including the former Soviet Union, which was the major weapons supplier for Israel's enemies for some time. Israel has tried to minimise its isolation by keeping its friends close and its enemies even closer.
Israel chose to align itself with the US, the major player in the region, in the interests of its national security. Nevertheless, circumstances have changed since the 1978 signing of the Camp David Accords. Israel's national security, which was the pretext for its insistence on a heavily armed defence force, is no longer in danger. The excuses for its aggressive conduct have also ceased to exist.
Will Israel's strategic planning continue in the same vein as before, or will it change in light of the new status quo?
There are definitely signs of change. The US may not necessarily remain the major player in the region, given that military power is not the only determinant of influence. The US may also cease to be a strong supporter of Israeli policies in the region, which have always embarrassed Washington. There are other emerging forces in the Middle East and around the world, and there is also a change in the US mood towards Israel.
These changes will no doubt have an effect on policies in the Middle East. In politics, national interests are the only constant. The political commentator Vic Rosenthal wrote in July on the California Zionist Lobby website that despite the fact US President Barack Obama had not called on Israel to pull back to within its June 5, 1967 borders, his policies suggest that he would support that. They also entail weakening Israel in the region.
There has been a discernable change in the US stance towards Israel and this has created a serious rift with the ruling Israeli right wing - something that neither party has tried to hide.
Israel, which makes a habit of mingling with giants, has been courting China since the 1980s. China is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, but it is also one of the countries that supplies Israel's enemies with weapons. Since there is no Jewish minority in China, Israel has had to search for other means of building bridges. It saw an opening in China's need for modern technology, especially in the fields of defence and security.
China was initially keen to keep its dealings with Israel under wraps so as not to jeopardise its excellent relations with the majority of Arab countries. However, these relations are no longer a secret. The use of weapons sales as a means to achieve foreign policy goals is nothing new. All arms-exporting countries use this method and China is just one of several countries that Israel courts in this manner.
In the absence of political, diplomatic or economic tools, Israel has used the weapons trade to secure its interests in certain countries. This trade has become a source of concern to the US and is another factor affecting US-Israeli relations.
Israel's relations with its strategic ally, the US, imposes certain restraints and commitments that cannot be ignored. In 2000, the US successfuly pressured Israel to give up a contract to sell China aircraft fitted with advanced Airborne Early Warning and Control systems. At the time, Israel had to choose between angering its strategic ally or winning the confidence of a new and major customer. Will Israel now re-evaluate this decision, or will it use it as a card to play behind closed doors?
Only time will tell.
Dr Mohammad Akef Jamal is an Iraqi writer based in Dubai.
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