ABSTRACT
Israel has historically enjoyed the support of the United States—so much so that Arabs of the Middle East commonly perceive that Israel is in effect a Western proxy state in their midst and, conversely, that Israel wields undue influence over US foreign policy toward the Middle East. While not denying that a “special relationship” exists between the United States and Israel, particularly with regard to the US commitment to Israel’s continuing security, Bernard Reich and Shannon Powers demonstrate that the two countries are hardly in lockstep agreement over issues. Though they might be in broad concord, the United States and Israel have frequently clashed over specifics and on the means to achieve goals—a situation shaped by differences between the global interests of the United States as the world’s lone superpower and Israel’s narrower and more regional interests. Tensions have waxed and waned between the governments over efforts for progress on peace talks with the Palestinians and over linking any such progress to alteration of Israel’s policies toward Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. As administrations have changed in both countries, their views have oftentimes diverged on the status of the occupied territories, the building of new Israeli settlements, and the creation of a Palestinian state. Nevertheless, US support for Israel remains strong overall.
