In 1948, U.S.-Israel relations were a classic case of a one-way-street: the U.S. gave and Israel received, economically and militarily.

In 1952, the U.S. administration rejected a proposal by General Omar Bradley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to elevate Israel to a role of a major ally, just like Iran and Turkey.

In 2013, notwithstanding Iranian President Hasan Rouhani’s rhetoric, Iran is the fiercest enemy of the U.S.. Erdogan’s Turkey follows a Muslim Brotherhood, rather than a NATO-oriented policy. Egypt is an increasingly unstable, unpredictable and anti-U.S. country. And, the long-term stability, reliability and capabilities of Saudi Arabia — as an ally of the U.S. — have been severely eroded by the ongoing Arab Tsunami.

In 2013, the combusting Arab street highlights Israel as the only stable, reliable, predictable, capable, democratic and unconditional Middle Eastern ally of the U.S.

In 2013, Israel is the only ally of the U.S. that is able and willing to extend the shortened strategic hand of the U.S., while the threats to the U.S. are mounting and Russian and Chinese penetration of the Middle East is intensifying.

In 2013, U.S.-Israel relations constitute a classic case of a two-way street, win-win, mutually beneficial ties, with Israel increasingly contributing to vital U.S. economic and defense interests; expanding U.S. employment, research and development and export base; serving as the most battle-tested laboratory of U.S. defense industries; enhancing U.S. counterterrorism and intelligence-gathering capabilities; and upgrading U.S. battle tactic and homeland security.

For example, some 300 U.S. high tech giants operate in Israel — a pipeline of commercial, defense and homeland security technologies to the U.S. — leveraging Israel’s brain power and enhancing their global competitiveness. Fifty-five percent of Hewlett Packard’s recent software developments originated in its seven research and development centers in Israel. In August, 2013, IBM acquired its 13th Israeli company and its research and development centers in Israel registered 463 patents during 2006-2010, followed by SandDisk — 394, Intel — 321, Microsoft, HP, Apple, General Electric, etc. Most of Intel’s laptop microprocessors, and many of Google’s applications, originated in Israel. Marvell’s largest design center outside the U.S. is in Israel.

Israel serves as the most battle-tested laboratory for the U.S. defense industry, employing hundreds of U.S. military systems (such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter planes), sharing with U.S. manufacturers lessons learned during battle, facilitating thousands of modifications and upgrades, thus dramatically enhancing the U.S. global competitive edge, expanding U.S. research and development, employment and exports, yielding a mega-billion dollar bonanza to the U.S. defense industry, while advancing the national security of Israel and the U.S..

Israel’s battle tactics against Palestinian terrorism are at the core of counterterrorism training at Fort Leavenworth, the intellectual center of the U.S. Army. U.S. Marines and Special Operations units are trained in Israel on their way to Afghanistan. They benefit from Israel’s unique experience in urban warfare and in tackling suicide bombers, car bombs and improvised explosive devices. U.S. bomb squads travel to Israel, improving their explosives neutralizing capabilities. The U.S. and Israeli air forces hold annual joint exercises, aimed at enhancing cooperation and leveraging Israel’s intense battle experience. After the 1967 War, the U.S. sent 15 senior military personnel to study Israeli lessons from the war and to implement them in the U.S. military. After the 1973 War, the U.S. sent 50 top commanders, who produced five volumes of lessons which were implemented by the U.S. military.

Israel has been a strategic beachhead of the U.S. as demonstrated by the 1967 War, which intercepted Egypt’s attempt to topple the House of Saud. In 1970, Israel mobilized its regulars and reservists, which forced pro-Soviet Syria to roll back its invasion of pro-U.S. Jordan without firing a single shot. In 1981, Israel pre-empted and devastated Iraq’s nuclear reactor, thus eliminating a clear and present lethal threat to Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other pro-American Arab regimes. In September 2007, Israel destroyed Syria’s nuclear reactor, sparing the free world a much more dangerous civil war in Syria. In 2012-2013 Israel bombed advanced military systems in Syria, thus preventing their use by Assad, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood or al-Qaida.

The scope of military intelligence transferred by Israel to the U.S. exceeds that which is transferred by all NATO countries combined. Israeli intelligence, shared with the U.S., plays a key role in U.S. counterterrorism efforts in general, and the campaign against Iran’s nuclearization, in particular.

According to the late General Alexander Haig, who was supreme commander of NATO and U.S. secretary of state: “Israel is the largest American aircraft carrier, which does not require a single U.S. aircraft or boot on board; cannot be sunk; and is deployed in a vital area for critical U.S. commercial and military interests. If there were not a Jewish state in the eastern flank of the Mediterranean, then the U.S. would have to deploy additional aircraft carriers and tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers to the Mediterranean. It would have cost the American taxpayers some $15 billion annually, which is spared by a viable Jewish state.”

By: Yoram Ettinger