Our great friend, the United States, is worrisome, and to the extent that these days, the manifestations of its friendship in the military realm are deepening, that worry is gradually intensifying.
Every American aircraft carrier that approaches our region exacerbates that concern, as, despite all the talk of shared values, not all of our interests align with those of our great friend across the sea.
In that reality, the more the military power from the United States in our region increases, the more Israel’s ability to stand on its principles and safeguard its security and diplomatic interests, decreases.
A blatant example of this is the pressure currently being exerted on the Israeli government, even before the battle in the South has ended, to position the Palestinian Authority, in one form or another, as the alternative government to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The ostensible legitimacy for an American demand of that kind in the Gaza Strip is liable to get stronger when a similar demand is made regarding Judea and Samaria. We will, once again, find ourselves under immense American pressure to establish a Palestinian state in the heartland of the country and the South. We will be pressured to relinquish territories of our homeland, and once again, it will be ingrained in the consciousness of the Arab world that, ultimately, Israel was defeated.
Strategic depth is our most crucial interest
The dangerous idea of partitioning the land and establishing a terrorist state in its heart was a concept that appeared to have been removed from the negotiating table. Sadly, however, it is being reincarnated, and the search has already been renewed for the latest “moderate” Palestinian, with or without a tie, and with or without a prison uniform. As a result, names from the blood-soaked terrorist past, among them, Mohammed Dahlan and Marwan Barghouti, are resurfacing as partners suitable for leadership in the post-Sinwar era.
Is it reasonable that, for the sake of this absurd idea, our sons and daughters are fighting and sacrificing their lives in heroic battles in the Gaza Strip?
The most crucial interest that Israel must maintain for the security of its citizens is strategic depth. This is the only way to create a realizable and sustainable defense. Without it, Judea and Samaria will be like Gaza but even worse, threatening Kfar Saba, Herzliya, Netanya, and Azrieli with the same atrocities we experienced in Kibbutz Be’eri and Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7.
Alongside the appreciation for the support that it provides us, we must remember that wherever the United States sought to impose its political will, it failed. This was the case in Egypt, Libya, Iran, and Afghanistan. We do not have an extra state in which to conduct another experiment of that kind. Israel will not be the next.
The true American interest is a strong Israel. A strong Israel constitutes a secure democratic axis, and its weakening will not help the Americans in their struggle against the Sunni and Russian efforts to supplant them from the Middle East.
Weakening Israel would be immediately translated by our neighbors, who are also allies of the United States, as American betrayal in times of trouble, resulting in their turning to other allies.
During the first 10 months of the current Netanyahu government, the American administration did everything it could to weaken Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who was boycotted: Talks were held with the heads of the Israeli opposition and Israeli President Isaac Herzog was turned into a bypass axis to Netanyahu, among other things. This, in turn, weakened Israel and its regional standing, essentially leading to the October 7 massacre.
It is undeniable that Israel needs the United States in the diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and security arenas, but all of these are not enough to cause it to capitulate to every demand that comes from Washington. The United States would prefer to see a strong and resolute ally, one that stands up for its interests, even against the White House.
Just as in the past, the leaders of Israel knew how to stand up to American presidents on critical issues, like sovereignty in the Golan Heights and east Jerusalem, the bombing of the Iraqi reactor, and even the establishment of the State of Israel, so too, the leaders of Israel need to stand up to the Biden administration. They must make it clear that Gaza will be under exclusive Israeli control, there will be Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, and the entire territory until the Litani River will be clear of Hezbollah terrorists. Only steadfastness of that kind will safeguard our security and preserve our regional standing.
The writers are co-chairs of the Sovereignty Movement.