The document summarizes a book that examines the relationship between the US and Israel and debunks myths about their alliance. It argues that US support for Israel is based on shared values and interests between the societies, not on the influence of Jewish lobbies. While governments act based on national interests, broader public and congressional support in the US is guided by beliefs that Israel's existence fulfills biblical prophecy. The book is presented as providing useful context for policymakers in the US, Israel, and other nations like India on developing cooperative relationships.

1. Jagdish N Singh
Can you read the world history and
still remain ignorant of Israel as one of
its most ancient entities ? Logically and
morally, it would be absolutely
inconceivable. But in our age of pseudo
democratic politics it suits most of our
politicians not to speak the truth about
Israel, and there is no dearth of
scholars and analysts who care a fig for
reason and morality and are ever
willing to provide ‘logical’ justifications
for their master’s voice.
To such intellectuals, including
journalists, the history of Israel is, at
the best, as recent as beginning with
the disintegration of the Ottoman
empire and the collapse of the latter
accords justification for the birth of
Arab nations but not a Jewish one . In
order to enable their masters whip the
passions of the innocent, silent and
often passive and gullible masses for
political power, they have invented all
kinds of myths demonizing Israel and
whoever has sided with the truth on
the matter. In the process some of
them have chosen to dub the birth of
the Jewish nation in 1948 as a
Christian conspiracy to subdue the
Muslim world while others have
attributed its growing international
influence to Jewish lobbies the world
over.
Ironically, one finds, there have
been some politicians and scholars
even in contemporary America, a
nation otherwise known for its
unparalleled contribution to the
making of our modern world based on
its values for democracy and freedom.
Deprived of strategic vision and
obsessed with the fashion of
secularism, they would say what some
Muslim leaders would love to listen.
They would be highly critical of strong
linkage of relations between
Washington and Jerusalem and brand
it as a creation of the Jewish lobby in
the United States. They would have
one believe that Israel has been behind
major American foreign policy
decisions, including the one to go to
war against Saddam Hussein. Their
thesis adds Europe and America differ
a lot in their interpretations of Middle
East but such is the influence of the
Jewish lobby in America that
Washington would finally go by its
view on the matter. And so on and so
forth.
Professor of Political Studies at Bar-
Ilan University Eytan Gilboa and
Director of Begin-Sadat Center for
Strategic Studies Efraim Inbar deserve
applause for having come forward with
this volume peeling away all such
prevalent myths about American -
Israeli relations and placing the bare
realities before us . In addition to
Gilboa and Inbar, eminent experts
Mitchell Bard, P Edward Haley, Paul
Charles Merkley, Bejamin Miller,
Amikam Nachmani, Emanuele
Ottolenghi, Jonathan Rynhold,
Cherian Samuel, Ira M Sheskin,
Shlomo Slonim and Dov Waxman
have contributed herein their analyses
of diferent dimensions of US-Israeli
relations in the present era : American
approaches to international politics ;
Israeli and American attitudes towards
each other; their convergence and
divergence on bilateral, regional and
international issues; American social
groups and lobbies; transatlantic
relations; special relationship ( minus
defence alliance ) between America
and Israel ; Israel’s policy dilemmas ;
and so on .
The work leads one to an
ineluctable inference that the kind of
support Israel derives from America
in the contemporary world cannot be a
creation of any Jewish lobby. It tells us
Jews cannot matter so much in the
American foreign policy formulation
for many reasons. First, they
constitute just about two per cent of
the total American population ( p. 90) .
Second, they are ideologically pluralist;
for every two Jews there would be, as
the saying goes, "three opinions." (p.
88). Third, major players and members
of the famous American Israel Public
Affairs Committee are liberal
democrats not known so much for an
Israeli bias .(p.88) . And last, there has
long been the World Council of
Churches (WCC) "in the vanguard of
the campaign" against Israel. ( p.108).
Still if there is what is long known as a
long, special bonhomie between Israel
and America , it is based on the
convergence of substantial perceptions
between the two nations-- more at the
broad societal, public and
congressional level than at the
governmental one .
The book reveals that while
Americans in general have supported
Israel throughout, Christian Zionists
and Evangelicals such as John Hagee of
the 18000 strong Cornerstone Church
in San Antanio, Texas matter a lot to a
pro-Israeli phenomenon in the
country’s policy environment. (p.112)
The Zionists’ pro-Israeli disposition
has been embedded in their Puritan
belief that the state of Israel came into
March 2011 Power Politics 71
BOOK BAZAAR
A Bonhomie Of Substance
US-ISRAELIRELATIONSINANEWERA
Eytan Gilboa &Efraim Inbar(ed),
Routledge,Taylor &FrancisGroup,
LondonandNewYork,2009,pp.254.

2. 72 Power Politics March 2011
BOOK BAZAAR
being in fulfillment of the biblical
prophecy and hence its well being is in
the realm of the American moral and
religious righteousness.(p.121). The
overall American public
and congressional support
for Israel is guided by the
shared values and
interests between the two
nations and their common
stakes in future. As for the
governmental bonding,
the book suggests, it has
more to do with what is
called give- and- take
pattern behaviour
between any two nations.
Without signing any
defence treaty between them
Washington and Jerusalem contribute
to bolstering each other’s national
interest.(p 46). While Israel gets
American military hardware,
economic aid and diplomatic support,
America has had in Israel the most
reliable ally increasingly crucial to
American existence itself, especially in
the wake of 9/11 terrorist attacks .
Pertinently, the American
government, the book reveals, has had
little moral or emotional
component in its
conduct of diplomacy
towards Israel. This
could be seen in the
reluctance of the
successive presidencies
in implementing
C o n g r e s s i o n a l
resolutions to move the
American embassy to
Jerusalem .(p 167)
Besides, the current
enterprise acquaints one
with the challenges
America and Israel have
ahead in the wake of the elimination of
a united Iraq and its replacement by a
weak Shiite dominated state; the
growing influence of Iran in the
Muslim world; the controversial
Iranian nuclear programme; the rise of
Islamist movements and their terror
offshoots; American setbacks in
Afghanistan; the developments in
Gaza and Lebanon; and in ensuring
peace and prosperity in the world in
general and the Middle East in
particular.
The kind of background the book
provides is sure to be of immense help
to decision-makers and policy analysts
in Washington and Jerusalem in
learning right lessons from the past
and devising such appropriate policies
and strategies as would enable them to
address their new concerns and
accomplish their foreign policy
objectives in the changed international
context . As most of the challenges
stated above facing America and Israel
are common to the entire civilized
world today, it should enlighten the
foreign policy community in other
nations as well as to how to work
together with the two nations better
for the sake of peace and development
in the world .
Decision-makers and scholars in
India could specifically benefit from
the awareness of this background . The
book details that after the quartet of
then Prime Minister P V Narsimha
Rao, Defence Minister Sharad Pawar,
Foreign Secretary J N Dixit and
Defence Secretary K A Nambiar came
to formulate a new
strategic turnaround
in India’s ties with
Israel, cooperation
between New Delhi
and Jerusalem has
increased a lot in
diverse areas.( p.197).
Aware of the
advantages Israel
holds for India today, a
whole range of top
brass in the
government--- from
former Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh
and Home Minister L K Advani of the
saffron brigade to then West Bengal
Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and his
colleague Somnath Chatterjee of the
red ---have visited Israel to boost ties
between the two nations.( p198). Yet,
one finds, the full potential of
cooperation between New Delhi and
Jerusalem is far from realized. So is the
case with Indo-American relations in
the post-cold war landscape. A better
awareness of the
contemporar y
American-Israeli
p h e n o m e n o n
could be used by
the Indian
decision-makers
and analysts to
d e v e l o p
a p p r o p r i a t e
policies and
strategies aimed
at extracting the
maximum from
the ongoing US-
I n d i a - I s r a e l
triangular cooperation.
A must read for academics,
researchers, journalists and policy
makers interested in discerning the
reality behind Israel’s relations with
America and its significance for the
world today and wishing to contribute
for a better world . Congrats to Gilboa
and Inbar once again on producing
such a wonderful work !
Co-editors Eytan Gilboa & Efraim Inbar
ItwasthequartetofthenPrimeMinisterPVNarsimhaRao,
DefenceMinisterSharadPawar,ForeignSecretaryJNDixit
andDefenceSecretaryKANambiarwhichcametoformulate
anewstrategicturnaroundinIndia’stieswithIsrael.Aware
oftheadvantagesIsraelholdsforIndiatoday,awholerange
oftopbrassinthegovernment---fromformerForeign
MinisterJaswantSinghandHomeMinisterLKAdvaniofthe
saffronbrigadetothenWestBengalChiefMinisterJyotiBasu
andhiscolleagueSomnathChatterjeeofthered--havevisited
Israeltoboost bilateraltiesbetweenthetwonations.