Why Israel and the US still need each other more than ever

“What does America gain from the US–Israel relationship?” It’s a question asked frequently by cultural elites, as well as by college students and young graduates.With the State of Israel celebrating its independence day—Yom Ha’Atzmaut—this past week against the backdrop of a still-raging war in Gaza and ever-escalating tensions with Iran, it’s worth addressing this concern head-on.The reality is that America benefits in many ways from its close relationship with Israel.

Perhaps the most obvious is in enhanced national security and deterrence on the world stage. Simply put, Israel’s enemies are America’s enemies.Time and again, we see Israel take military or covert action against opponents who have American blood on their hands.Consider, as but one example, the American tragedy at the remote Tower 22 military outpost, located in the far northeastern corner of Jordan near the tripoint with Syria and Iraq.On January 28, 2024, Iran-backed terrorist militias in Iraq launched a drone assault at Tower 22—one attack drone evaded the outpost’s aerial defenses, striking the base and killing three US soldiers while injuring 47 more. The soldiers’ deaths were needless but all-too-predictable, coming as they did after the Biden administration refused, for months, to respond to more than 160 separate Iran-backed attacks on US military bases in the Middle East in the months following Hamas’ attack on Israel.On April 1, 2024, the Israel Defense Forces eliminated a top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, in a targeted strike on an auxiliary building adjoining the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria. Even if Zahedi was not the one who literally ordered that precise drone launch, the deterrent effect against Iran-backed Islamist thugs seeking to maim and kill American military assets overseas was the same.Truthfully, this same dynamic holds every time Israel takes out an Iranian military or intelligence asset. Iran is dire...