Israel and America

Of all the nations in the world, it is hard to think of two nations that have a closer bond than Israel and America. This relationship baffles many observers, but most Americans take the intimacy of the relationship for granted and wonder why Europeans and others don't feel the loyalty to Israel that Americans feel.

There are two reasons for the intimate Israeli-American relationship. The first is history where Israel is like a father to America and the second is culture where Israel and America are like twin brothers.

The history of America is closely tied to Israel. The Hebrew Bible is the history of Israel and the Hebrew Bible was carefully read and often memorized by every important founder of America. America's founders were Protestant Christians who considered the Hebrew Bible sacred and treated it as the most important of all textbooks of learning. Israel's history was the founder's history.

The two largest groups of settlers in America, the New England Puritans and the Pennsylvania Friends called their newly settled land the New Jerusalem (Jerusalem is the capital of Classic and modern Israel). The early Americans named their children after Hebrew Bible names and used the Hebrew Bible as a text book in all the early schools and colleges.

Visitors to America in the early years of its formation often wrote about how religious the Americans were and how much they identified their country as the new Israel, and used Hebrew Bible terms to describe America as "the promised land" and "the chosen people."

The historic identity of America and Israel has grown stronger since the creation of Israel. Americans are taught that the American President, Harry Truman, who swiftly recognized the new state of Israel in 1948 and who pressured the United Nations to recognize the new state of Israel, was a religious man from Missouri in the heart of America who fought against the arrogant, atheistic State Department that didn't want to recognize the new state of Israel. President Truman is given credit by Americans and Israelis for the prompt recognition and support of the reborn state of Israel.

The newly reborn state of Israel, which was geographically tiny, proceeded several times to defeat invading neighboring Arab states that had armies ten times the size of Israel's. First, Israel defeated its enemies in 1948, then in 1959 and again in 1967. Each time Israel won victories against gigantic enemies. These miraculous victories suggested to Americans that Israel was possibly the chosen nation of God.

The second reason America and Americans identify closely with Israel is the twin brother aspect of the relationship.

Both nations were uniquely founded by settlers escaping religious persecution. That is very important. Each nation is open to immigrants and composed of diverse populations. Both nations are deeply democratic, devoted to science and technology and proud of their military might. Both nations were built with bare hands from bare land by hard work and have become champions of business and the free market.

Most importantly, neither America nor Israel is held together by an ethnic identity. The two nations are held together by an idea. The idea is a nation committed to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

When Palestinians blow themselves up to kill Israeli civilians and Palestinian government officials publicly say that 'Israelis love life too much,' Americans identify more with Israel.

When Arabs killed thousands of American civilians by suicide crashes using commercial airliners in September 2001, Americans immediately identified with Israel and the Israeli victims of Arab suicide bombers.

When the Chairman of the Palestinians (Arafat), at peace talks in 2000, completely refused to offer any compromise peace proposal as requested by President Clinton, Americans again sided with flexible Israelis over the obstinate Palestinians. The President following Clinton, Bush, has never spoken to Chairman Arafat. President Bush accurately reflects the American feelings about Israel-Palestine relations.

Everything the Arab world does seems to strengthen the American-Israel bond. The bond could not be stronger and will remain strong for many decades to come.

America and Israel are father/son/brothers. A very close and intimate family.