The escalation of U.S. mediator ship in the Middle East coincided with the gradual withdrawal of British forces. It also coincided with the escalating cold war tensions between the superpowers. The U.S. increased its financial support to Israel to negate the Soviet supply of ammunition to Arab states. Thus it gained substantial clout in the region. (Garfinkle 560)
The irony is that, Jews, who were the victims of discrimination and violence as a result of anti-Semitic sentiment and the holocaust have now seemed to perpetrate the same vices. Apart from the Middle-East, there are reports of Jews’ increasing hostile attitudes towards African-Americans in the U.S.A. Unfortunately, this trend seems to have pervaded all across the Jewish Diaspora, debasing the humanitarian values that the Israelis were once attributed with. (Atherton 1201)
Events, of late, had profoundly changed the nature of the Israeli-American partnership. Previously, American support in Arab-Israeli conflicts was Israel’s primary interest. For America, it was the advantage it could gain in its global cold war with U.S.S.R. was the chief motive. Israeli culture and political setup resonated with that of the United States’. So, all these made Israel a desirable ally, the collapse of the U.S.S.R. had changed the equations drastically and the United States no longer has the same incentive to stick its neck out for its friend. In this new scenario, the United States should consider the issue of Palestinian statehood independently of other parties and should implement it roadmap to peace initiative with the interests of the Palestinians in mind. The solutions are to be found in UN Resolutions 194 and 242. In the long run, a peaceful and stable Middle East would serve America more than anyone else, especially in the contemporary world where Islamic fundamentalism and international terrorism are on the rise. (Fernandez)
Works Cited:
Ash, Toby. “Rewriting the script of Middle East peace.” MEED Middle East Economic Digest 40.n24 (June 14, 1996): 2(2).
Atherton, L. Alfred Jr. “Arabs, Israeli’s and Americans: A reconsideration.” Foreign Affairs. P.1194-1209
Fernandez, Erwin S. “The United States and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: Forging Future Peace.”, International Social Science Review, 02782308, 2005, Vol. 80, Issue ½
Garfinkle, Adam. “U.S.-Israeli relations after the Cold War.” ORBIS 40.n4 (Fall 1996): 557(19).
McGeary, Johanna. “This land is whose land? With parades and misgivings, Israel recalls the Six-Day War.” Time 129 (June 8, 1987): 38(2).
Sandler, Shmuel. “Israeli Arabs and the Jewish state: the activation of a community in suspended animation.(Special Issue: Israel).” Middle Eastern Studies 31.n4 (Oct 1995): 932(21).
Tal, David. “The American-Israeli security treaty: sequel or means to the relief of Israeli-Arab tensions, 1954-55.(Special Issue: Israel).” Middle Eastern Studies 31.n4 (Oct 1995): 828(21).