Strengthening the U.S.-Israel Economic and Strategic Partnership

American Legislator ^ | 3-16-15 | Karla Jones

[ThethoughtsofGreg]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before a joint session of Congress remind the American people that, despite reports of strains in the partnership, U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation has recently accelerated on a number of fronts. Building on the Memorandum of Understanding signed with Israel by then-President George W. Bush in 2007 to enable Israel to meet evolving threats, in December, President Obama signed the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Agreement, declaring that Israel is a “major strategic partner” of the United States. The Agreement lays the foundation for enhanced cooperation on issues from cybersecurity and agriculture to alternative fuel technologies and defense. As President Obama observed following the signing, “This bipartisan piece of legislation reflects the importance placed by my administration on strengthening and deepening U.S.-Israel bilateral cooperation and ties.”

In recent years, U.S.-Israeli strategic cooperation has taken many forms. One result of this cooperative dynamic was the officially unacknowledged but widely recognized U.S.-Israeli covert cyber-operation – Stuxnet – that disabled 1,000 centrifuges at Iran’s Natanz facility and is estimated to have set the Iranian nuclear program back two years. The U.S. also funded significant system additions to Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system that continues to protect its citizens from rocket attacks. Additionally, Israel cooperates with the West through NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue framework which contributes to regional security and stability.