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Despite Flotilla Attack, Joint U.S.-Israeli Military Efforts Continue

1 year ago
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David Wood
David Wood
Chief Military Correspondent
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Joint U.S.-Israeli military operations, training and weapons development are likely to continue despite the global furor at Israel's deadly raid on the Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship the Mavi Marmara on Monday.

Anger on the Arab street and across the Muslim world has gone viral over what is widely perceived to be a brazenly illegal Israeli attack on civilians aboard the ship, en route to deliver building supplies and other material to Gaza. Nine civilians were killed in a melee that broke out when Israeli commandos stormed the ship in international waters.

But close military ties between the United States and Israel mean that Washington will be unable to convincingly distance itself from the Israeli action, and American relations with the Muslim world will continue to be difficult and, in many places, dangerous.

The bloom of optimism in the Arab world that greeted the election of President Obama had already begun to wither, as the inevitable disappointments over the lack of peace progress set in.

Now, additional boats of the "relief flotilla'' carrying supplies from Turkey are expected to try to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, and with the Turkish government threatening to send armed escorts, more confrontation and tension seem inevitable.
The anger and violence, in turn, fuel anti-American bitterness across the region, as Gen. David Petraeus and others have recently observed.

But there is no escaping the fact of deepening U.S.-Israeli military ties that have no parallel with any other country in the region.
In a joint appearance at the Pentagon this spring, Defense Secretary Robert Gates lauded Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, calling him a friend with whom he's worked for over 20 years.

"The United States' commitment to Israel's security is unshakable, and our defense relationship is stronger than ever, to the mutual benefit of both nations," Gates said in a news conference April 27. "The United States and our ally Israel share many of the same security challenges, from combating terrorism to confronting the threat posed by Iran's nuclear-weapons program.''

Barak was no less enthusiastic. "The special relationship between Israel and the United States is unbreakable, built on mutual respect and shared values,'' he said, citing "the unmatched support and cooperation that the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] and the Israeli minister of defense share with the United States military and the Department of Defense. ''

For instance, the USS Ramage, a guided-missile destroyer based in Norfolk, Va., spent much of last month off the coast of Israel, plugged into Israel's missile defense system "and learning a lot about how to do that,'' according to Adm. James G. Stavridis, who commands U.S. and NATO forces in Europe and the Mediterranean.

The growing U.S.-Israeli coordination of missile defense operations "is something we've been working very closely with the Israelis on,'' Stavridis told defense reporters May 17. "We'll get a lot out of it, I think the Israelis will get a lot out of it, and we're moving forward with a great deal of practical work. The idea is to continue that march to try and build inter-operability together.''

More than a thousand U.S. soldiers, sailors and airmen landed in Israel last fall for Exercise Juniper Cobra, held every two years to facilitate joint missile defense and other joint U.S.-Israeli operations. U.S. military personnel are stationed in southern Israel, where they operate a strategic radar designed to detect and lock onto enemy missiles.

Such joint strategic operations have strong support not only in the White House and Pentagon but in Congress as well. This spring lawmakers lined up to push through a $205 million addition to Israel's annual $3 billion security aid package; the added money, approved by a bipartisan crowd of 401 legislators, is earmarked for Israel's "Iron Dome'' missile defense system.

Here's the rationale, according to Howard Berman, the California Democrat who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee:

"With nearly every square inch of Israel at risk from rocket and missile attacks, we must ensure that our most important ally in the region has the tools to defend itself.'' In a floor statement, Berman explained that "both President Obama and the Congress are actively and unshakably committed to Israel's security."

As that kind of certainty clashes in the region with Islamist bitterness, the words spoken by Petraeus, the senior U.S. military commander in the Middle East, may come to seem prophetic. Arab anger, he told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 16, strengthens al-Qaeda and other radical groups just as it strengthens Iraq and weakens moderates in the region on whom the United States depends.

The unresolved Israeli-Palestinian dispute specifically, he said, "limits the strength and depth of U.S. partnerships with governments and peoples'' in the region "and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world.

"Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support. The conflict also gives Iran influence in the Arab world through its clients, Lebanese Hezbollah and Hamas.''
Tagged: Israeli assault, israeli military, IsraeliAssault, Mavi Marmara assault, MaviMarmaraAssault, U.S.-Israel, U.S.-Israel missile defense, U.s.-israelMissileDefense
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71 Comments

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pete s

When will the U.S. learn, Israel is not now and was never has been an ally. The only thing that keeps keeping the sham alive is Uncle Saps deep pockets. And the
the power of world wide Israeli Lobbist's(the laregest in world) that keep there lies alive. They have been on the U.S. dole since 1948. Even with thier thumb attitude.

June 05 2010 at 12:15 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
melvin polatnick

Warlords and tribal chieftains, racists and bigots, along with a billion malcontents are at war with tiny Israel. Instead of looking into the mirror and admitting their personal failures, they shift the blame on Israel and its Jewish population. Unfortunates who think that Jews have mastered the secrets of sorcery should learn their magic instead of behaving like frustrated children.

June 02 2010 at 8:45 PM Report abuse +4 rate up rate down Reply
theherd1969

EXCELLENT EDITORIAL IN TODAY'S "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS."

Check it out -

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/06/02/2010-06-02_in_selfdefense.html

June 02 2010 at 1:08 PM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
Tom

Attacking a ship in international waters is an act of war!

June 02 2010 at 10:29 AM Report abuse -5 rate up rate down Reply
Tom

Piracy is piracy and in this instance the nation of Israel is a pirate sponsoring nation!

June 02 2010 at 10:26 AM Report abuse -6 rate up rate down Reply
vallesula

Barbarism against a defensless people must stop !.

June 02 2010 at 9:25 AM Report abuse -7 rate up rate down Reply
vallesula

People in the world just want to be free.

June 02 2010 at 9:22 AM Report abuse -6 rate up rate down Reply
vallesula

People in the world just want to be free.

No man is entitled to subjugate and oppress another man; not even the so-called chosen ones.

June 02 2010 at 9:22 AM Report abuse -4 rate up rate down Reply
vallesula

They've managed to reverse roles ...

from recipients of genocide...

to become the genociders.

June 02 2010 at 9:20 AM Report abuse -5 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to vallesula's comment
carlton

Ridiculous. Patently ridiculous.

Jews have changed their roles, true. They are no longer passive victims, instead choosing to be pro-active in their self defense efforts. 7000 rockets are launched from Gaza into Israeli towns annually. These rocket attacks are launched without any regard whatsoever as to where they land, or who they kill.

Israel's blockade is justified, as were the actions of Israeli Forces after having been attacked/ambushed while attempting to conduct a lawful search of a ship that was illegally trying to run the blockade.

June 02 2010 at 10:21 AM Report abuse +9 rate up rate down Reply
rongillis@email.com

Why should an Israeli attack on a bunch of pacifist, commie, terrorist sympathizers trying to bring medical supplies and food to terrorists, change the "special relationship between Israel and the United States?" Convicted Israeli spies in U.S. prisons, and dead American sailors on the USS Libery haven't changed it so I don't think the loss of a few peace activists will shake things up very much.

June 02 2010 at 2:44 AM Report abuse +5 rate up rate down Reply

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