ABSTRACT
The United States relationship with Israel has been one of the closest and most controversial relationships the country has experienced since the end of World War II. Ever since President Harry Truman became one of the first world leaders to recognize the existence of the Jewish state in 1948 the relationship has developed and grown over time to become arguably America’s most intimate bilateral relationship. Apart from rocky periods under Dwight Eisenhower1 and the first George Bush, where American national interests in securing oil supplies and Arab support in the Cold and Gulf Wars took precedence, Israel has been supported and sustained by successive administrations. This support has often come at great cost to the United States in terms of economic, military and political support as they have sought to protect and promote the interests of Israel in the face of widespread opposition throughout the Middle East. And yet, after 60 years, that supportive relationship is taken as a given in world politics. Indeed the relationship has deepened significantly under the younger Bush administrations and it is unthinkable for any future prospective presidential candidate to contemplate running for office without declaring unconditional support for the State of Israel.
