ABSTRACT
The affinity of the United States and Israel antedates Israel's independence in 1948. Support for the idea of a Jewish state developed after World War I and concrete efforts to achieve the goal began to appear in United States policy discussions soon after World War II. The United States national interest lies in its continued independent existence, survival and security with its institutions and values safeguarded, and with the welfare of its people enhanced. Israel's strategic value became a component of American interests primarily after 1967 when specific contributions could be identified. The American experience in striving to escape persecution and establish an independent national homeland has a parallel in a Jewish state in Palestine which appears to reaffirm these ideals through absorption and integration of immigrants in distress. The American religious heritage, overwhelmingly Christian, helps to secure a religious interest in and link to the land and people of Israel.
