America’s response to Israel’s proposed judicial reforms paved the way for various parties to assert their positions regarding Israel, its government, its society, and its position in the community of nations. It is unclear why outside parties, especially the U.S. government, felt the need to consider Israeli proposals, unless they were understood as a means of eroding or curtailing U.S.-Israeli relations.
There is one very heavy fallout. (Related: Shoshana Brien: What Happens When Palestinian Powerhouse Leaders Finally Die)
The report that Israeli reservists would omit military service shocked U.S. military personnel. U.S.-Israeli security cooperation has been a bulwark of U.S. security programs in the Middle East and Persian Gulf for decades. The idea that the security regime of Israel, an ally in research and development, production, exercises, and intelligence, could collapse was terrifying.
Sidetrack: Security cooperation began in earnest in 1983 when President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir announced what they called “strategic cooperation.” The US military did not object, but at the time it was hard to imagine what a small country could bring.
I have had the honor of convening a group of military and security experts. We spent two of his days building a grid of US requirements and possible Israeli inputs. We gave it to the head of the American delegation. He thanked us and the report was used at the first meeting.
fast forward.
With the two countries growing closer, and with Israel moving from the United States European Command (EUCOM) to the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), joint planning and interoperability are farther than early proponents imagined, and went fast. CENTCOM Commander General Eric Kurilla has visited Israel at least eight times since taking over as commander in April 2022. Israel has operated in the Red Sea alongside countries with which it has diplomatic ties, and with which it does not. European countries are also participating.
So the idea spread in the Israeli (and US) press that hundreds of millions of reservists were refusing to attend their missions and listening to Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister and Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces. is. incite themIt was scary for American servicemen because it made them doubt an ally they had never suspected before. The media reportedly exaggerated statistics about who signed the petition and underestimated those who not only took part in the protests but also condemned those who called for rebellion.
David Weinberg, a foreign affairs and security writer for The Jerusalem Post and Israel Today, digs deeper and finds that the first petition for reserve service is not a mandatory reserve officer, but a voluntary reserve officer. found to be signed by He then found various petitions from active reserves who a) condemned the “strike” and b) emphasized their commitment to the state and the Israel Defense Forces. And signed by far more people.
Quoted by Weinberg Colonel Yair PereyThe vaunted Gorani Brigade commander noted that extensive training had just ended and not a single reservist had refused to attend the mission. Nor are they preoccupied with judicial reform. Perey: No, that’s not for us to discuss. Every soldier puts aside their personal opinions when training and puts Israel’s safety first and theirs above politics. I understand that there is work to be done.”
Journalist Michael Soltin wrote about an incident. online petition It was launched last week and had 80,000 signatures by Israeli military reservists by Friday. Part of its content reads: As ex-soldiers or reservists in the Israeli Defense Forces, we oppose refusal and pledge allegiance to the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic nation. We will serve Israel and defend it at all costs because Israel is our only nation! ”
Phew!
In late July, General Kurila returned to Israel for an eighth meeting involving the Ministry of Defense and intelligence agencies.according to official statement“In the short time since Israel joined CENTCOM’s area of responsibility, significant progress has been made in interoperability between the IDF and U.S. Central Command,” Krila said. The ability of our militaries to work together is a key aspect of our joint efforts to support regional stability. ”
To update you, this week, the U.S. Fifth Fleet and the Israeli Navy annual exercise in Haifa. “Israel is one of our most capable maritime partners and this exercise further underscores the historic military cooperation achieved in recent years,” said U.S. Navy Central Command, U.S. Fifth Fleet and Coalition. Navy Commander VADM Cooper said.
The U.S. military appears to be sticking with its allies for the benefit of both countries and the wider region.
Shoshana Bryan is senior director of the Center for Jewish Policy and editor of the quarterly inFOCUS.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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