how Israel is a strategic liability for the United States.

Two years ago this week, I published this piece on how Israel is a strategic liability for the United States. This has been the case for decades, but the past two years have proven Israel is arguably the greatest strategic liability the United States currently shoulders abroad. The US-Israel special relationship is not sustainable. The pathologies of the special relationship with Israel have hindered Washington’s strategic maneuverability in the Middle East and inhibited US leaders’ ability to think clearly about the region. Lobbying on behalf of Israel has steered Washington’s regional policies in directions contrary to US interests. Israel’s foreign policy is inherently aggressive and expansionist both in the Occupied Territories and the wider Middle East. And it is getting worse. The special relationship binds Washington to this agenda, subsidizing it while entangling the United States in a host of protracted crises that would otherwise be avoidable. At every turn, it pulls the United States deeper into the Middle East. The special relationship emboldens Israel and incites widespread regional hostility toward the United States. The unparalleled levels of American political, economic, and military support for Israel allow it to avoid the policy trade-offs that typically constrain other states. The result is perpetual conflict subsidized by the United States to its own disadvantage. The last two years have marked the apex of the US-Israel relationship, characterized by total Israeli impunity guaranteed by the United States. they have epitomized the dysfunctions of the special relationship for the United States—blind support for Israeli policy and disregard for American interests. Nothing the United States receives from Israel justifies the profound negative consequences of the special relationship. It is unidirectional, yielding virtually no benefit for the United States while actively undermining US interests. This is particularly the case when it comes to Iran. The US-Iran rivalry is primarily a byproduct of the special relationship, which policymakers in Washington and Israel invoke to strengthen their partnership, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of conflict and greater American regional involvement. This cannot continue. The United States needs to fundamentally reorient its approach to Israel. The special relationship needs to end.

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