ABSTRACT
Although Israel has not taken part in the war in Iraq, it has been deeply associated – some would say implicated – in it. Indeed, aside from the United States and Great Britain, in the public imagination (both in Western countries and Middle Eastern ones) Israel is perhaps more tied to the Iraq War than any other country. Many people, in fact, hold Israel responsible – directly or indirectly – for the war. While the United States led the ‘coalition of the willing’ into war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in March 2003, it is widely believed that Israel was in some way behind this decision to go to war. This chapter will refute this popular belief, and offer a more accurate analysis of pre-war Israeli views concerning the desirability of a US-led war with Iraq. It will conclude by considering the consequences of the Iraq War for Israel and its possible implications for future US-Israeli relations.
