Charles De Gaulle once said that treaties are like young girls and roses; they last while they last. Is the special relationship between Israel and the United States as fragile as that and why for the first time since the founding of Israel is that relationship a topic for discussion in a U.S. presidential debate? Finally, how can Israel, outnumbered and besieged by a regional power who is willing to sacrifice anything to erase Israel from the face of the earth, continue to exist?
The linked article by Christopher Caldwell discusses these questions and other issues that Israel faces each day. It also provides an excellent history regarding the formation of the Israeli state and the internal stresses which must be carefully balanced for the state to continue to exist. One misstep on the part of the Israeli political or military leaders can cause terrible harm to the state of Israel and its citizens. The proof of this are the actions of previous leaders of Israel such as Golda Meir prior to the war of 1973 and Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF prior to the attack on October 7.
With the very real possibility of a new front on the north, will the state of Israel be able to exist given the questionable support of the current U.S. administration? One gets the feeling that we were so close to achieving a real break through with the Abraham Accords but that even if the war ended today, the survival of Israel has taken a serious step in the wrong direction.
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