ABSTRACT
The "economic investment trap" explanation is insufficient in accounting for the longevity of US-Israeli relations. Despite the tremendous and constant growth of Israeli dependence on the United States, Israeli scholars and writers have contributed surprisingly little to the expanding literature on US-Israeli relations, and even less to the literature on dependence. The argument that US-Israeli relations are deduced from mutual national interests, for example, suffers from both theoretical and empirical weaknesses. The prima facie conclusion that Israel is indeed regarded as a special US ally, or client, is borne out by various indicators. Israel receives a large chunk of the total US foreign and military aid package, as well as enjoying a great deal of US attention. A radical change in Israeli policy vis-a-vis the West Bank, or continued resistance to the resumption of the peace process with the joint participation of Jordanians and Palestinians, could lead to a shift.
