I support israel, and their struggle for a homeland, in the area known loosely now as palestine, and I support them doing whatever it takes to live secure inside their borders.
Second, I think it's safe to assume that yes, they have used blackmail against the US in the past, and they do target us with penetrations-spying-using every trick in the book.
Third, I also have no doubt that if push came to shove, they would blackmail the US and some other western nations with a nuke strike, or other WMD strike or strikes -or very credible threats of same- if it looked like we were going to abandon them in some war.
Fourth, because of the above views, I would hope we hold them as allies, but not forget it's ALWAYS every nation for itself. I'm a USA-firster, always.
April 6, 1998
On April 6, 1998, System Planning Corporation (SPC) hosted a roundtable discussion for the Rumsfeld Commission to discuss the ballistic missile threat to the United States from Israel, Libya and Egypt. Dr. Seth Carus of the National Defense University led the discussion. Dr. Dov Zakheim of SPC also participated. The following is a summary of the meeting, and highlights key areas of consensus.
Israel
Israel's ballistic missile program dates back to several missile and rocket programs in the late 1950's and early 1960's. Israel's military research and development establishment developed two missiles: the Luz, with a range of 27 km, and the Shavit II rocket, an experimental system.
Jericho I
Zakheim and Carus agreed that the Jericho I was Israel's first true ballistic missile program. They both asserted that little is known about the system, and that there is considerable debate about the range and payload specifications of the system. Some have stated that the missile has a range of 260 km, while others assert that it could be as great as 750 km. It is generally agreed that Israel has or had between 50-100 Jericho I missiles and that it was designed as a nuclear delivery vehicle.
Jericho II
The participants also agreed that Israel initiated development of a follow on to the Jericho I, the Jericho II in 1985. The Israelis initiated a series of test launches of this missile into the Mediterranean between May 1987 and March 1992. These missiles were tested to a range of 1300 km (800 miles), although little is known about the payload specifications during these tests.
It is believed that this missile is more accurate than the Jericho I. It is also believed that the missile is very similar to the Pershing II missile, and that it has a radar terminal guidance system. It is unknown how many Jericho II missiles Israel has deployed, and whether they are armed with nuclear warheads.
Jericho II B
There are reports that Israel is building a follow on to the Jericho II, the Jericho II B, also known as the Jericho III. This missile could carry a 1000 kg payload to a range of 2,800 km.
Shavit
Carus noted that Israel has derived much of its ballistic missile technology from its space launch program, particularly from the Shavit space launch vehicle. It appears that the Jericho II's first two stages are identical to the Shavit's. Carus also concluded that a ballistic missile based on the design of the Shavit's first two stages could carry a 900 kg payload to a range of 4,850 km (3,000 miles), and a 500 kg payload to 7,600 km (4,700 miles). Both of the participants agreed, however, that Israel will probably not attempt to develop a missile with a range beyond that of the Jericho II B. There are no strategic advantages to do this.
http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/missile/rumsfeld/pt1_africa.htm