ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the major historical developments in the US–Israeli relationship. It also describes and analyzes the core foundations of the relationship: shared strategic interests, Israel’s resonance in American political culture and the role played by the pro-Israel lobby in domestic American politics. Another factor that influences the quality of the US–Israeli relationship is the policies pursued by Israel and its neighbors regarding US interests in the region. Each of these factors has a major effect on the relationship but none alone explains American support for Israel. Cultural resonance undergirds the relationship generating a predisposition to support Israel, while most of the major upgrades of the strategic relationship were driven primarily by a strategic rationale. The pro-Israel lobby has preserved the preferential treatment that Israel receives. It is rarely the driving force behind major upgrades in the relationship, but it does make it more difficult to downgrade the relationship by raising the political price of confronting Israel. The main challenge to the special relationship is the increased willingness among Democrats to condition many of the benefits Israel receives on Israeli support for the peace process.
