Israel-US Ties Under Biden Not as Good as Under Trump, But Better Than During Obama, Expert Says

© Sputnik / Alexey Vitvitsky / Go to the mediabankUS and Israeli flags
US and Israeli flags - Sputnik International, 1920, 21.01.2022
Subscribe
Although the two states have boosted cooperation and held multiple military drills, they look differently at the Iranian nuclear issue. Israel believes no deal is better than a bad deal, whereas in Washington officials are reportedly convinced that concessions to Tehran are an absolute necessity.
Before Joe Biden took office in Washington in January 2021, many in Israel were worried that the US under his leadership would change its attitude towards the Jewish state.

New Start?

Yet, one year into his presidency, Professor Eytan Gilboa, an expert on US-Israel relations at Bar-Ilan University and a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, says relations are not as bad as people believed they would be.

"They are not as good as they were during [President] Donald Trump but they are definitely not as bad as they were during Barack Obama".

The expert believes the new US administration was relieved to see a new coalition in Israel. The previous Israeli government, under then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was too conservative to their liking, and the emergence of the new bloc has unlocked many opportunities that Washington didn't have with Bibi around.

"Under Netanyahu, there was a constant confrontation and now there is nothing of this sort. Things have become more normal. The ecology of these ties has improved and we now see more agreements and more cooperation".

Over the past year, the US and Israel have held a number of big exercises, the most recent being Desert Falcon that occurred several days ago.
© REUTERS / JONATHAN ERNSTU.S. President Joe Biden and Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett chat during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. August 27, 2021.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett chat during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. August 27, 2021. - Sputnik International, 1920, 21.01.2022
U.S. President Joe Biden and Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett chat during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. August 27, 2021.
The two states have also registered progress on a visa waiver initiative for Israeli citizens, while Israel's security apparatus has been given a pat on the shoulder after the House passed legislation giving the Jewish state $1 billion to replenish its Iron Dome missile defence systems.

Rocky Road

Despite these achievements, there have also been rocky moments in the nations' ties.
One major disagreement revolves around Iran's nuclear programme. The US is currently taking part in a series of talks with Tehran aimed at restoring the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that was terminated in 2018 and that tried to supervise the Iranian atomic quest in exchange for the lifting of western sanctions.
In 2015, Israel vehemently objected to that agreement and although the current Israeli government isn't going head-to-head with the Biden administration, the general concern in Jerusalem, says Gilboa, is that the US "is making too many concessions in their talks in Vienna".

"Initially, Biden was advocating for a stronger and longer agreement. Then they were ready to settle for the original 2015 deal, and now there has been talk of a lesser pact. For Israel, this is unacceptable. It would prefer to see no deal rather than a bad one".

According to reports, Israel is demanding that the US not lift any sanctions off the Islamic Republic before there is a concrete and solid deal. It is also asking to avoid a situation, where Tehran would gain time to reach nuclear independence and it is urging the Americans to prepare a Plan B in the event those talks fail.
That Plan B is believed to be military action against Iran. Israel has repeatedly threatened it would not hesitate to use force against the Islamic Republic, but Gilboa says that the Jewish state would need equipment to be able to stick to its words.

"To carry out such a mission Israel needs refuelling aircraft, and it also needs bunker busters, bombs that can penetrate meters of concrete. The idea is not to attack Iran but to get concessions from it".

Palestinians at the Core

Yet, the Iranian issue is far from being the only challenge. Another is the Palestinian question.
Since Biden took office, he has taken a number of steps to soothe the Palestinians' feelings. Although he did not move the US Embassy from Jerusalem back to Tel Aviv, he did cotemplate opening a consulate in East Jerusalem, a move that hasn't ripened yet.
The Biden administration has also committed itself to a two-state solution, it voiced its opposition to Israel's settlement activity and it unlocked millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians, restoring a big chunk of the funds they lost in 2018.
© REUTERS / AMMAR AWADA demonstrator holds a Palestinian flag during a protest over the death of Nizar Banat, at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, June 25, 2021.
A demonstrator holds a Palestinian flag during a protest over the death of Nizar Banat, at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, June 25, 2021. - Sputnik International, 1920, 21.01.2022
A demonstrator holds a Palestinian flag during a protest over the death of Nizar Banat, at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, June 25, 2021.
That stance, says Gilboa, can partially be put down to the emergence of the progressives in the Democratic Party.
Where will this path lead in the long term? Gilboa says there are still many more questions than answers.

"There are just too many variables. It is not clear who will win the upcoming midterm elections in the US [set for November 2022 - ed.]. Neither is it clear what the fate of the current Israeli government will be. But one thing is for sure: if this coalition sticks, the normalisation process will continue as well".

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала