Do too many Americans view this relationship as a one-way street?
It depends on their experience. If they have enough experience, they understand and appreciate Israel. That’s especially true when it comes to the military brass in the Pentagon. Not everyone in the State Department understands it, but if they dig in and get some hands-on experience, they will appreciate it too. Congress, on the other hand, understands it very well. From the Foreign Relations Committee to the Defense Committee, Congress recognizes the interests of the U.S.-Israel relationship.
As you see pro-Hamas protests on college campuses and the rise of anti-Israel forces in the Democratic Party, do you worry about the next generation of American leaders?
Absolutely. Generational change is very difficult. When the hearts and minds of young people are exposed to the onslaught of incitement and indoctrination by Islamists and progressives who are not only anti-Israel but also anti-American, I consider them anarchists. It manifests itself in violence on campuses, in the burning of not only Israeli flags but also American flags. So, certainly, I have concerns about the younger generation. But I believe there is a lot that can be done, starting with the Jewish community in the United States. In April, a banner reading “Liberate Palestine” was hung from the window of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University. The writer asks, “Was Palestine made by Arabs or for Jews?” (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Reuters)
What should Israel improve?
We in Israel should not be fighting over narratives. There is one truth and the Israeli government has been remiss in not conveying a very simple and clear message: the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people and the Jewish people belong to the Land of Israel. That doesn’t mean we are not willing to share the land. We are indigenous people and this is our home. People don’t understand and are trying a different narrative.
I think Palestinians are at a structural disadvantage because they only have one message. They have no problem lying and repeating it. Anyone who speaks out against the Palestinian Authority or Hamas faces jail or death. Israel is a vibrant democracy, with an opposition party and media outlets that attack the government, and even within the coalition government, there are many different messages flying around.
So, far from valuing our democracy, the Europeans are using it against us. So we have a structural disadvantage that can only be improved by a concise, targeted message repeated over and over again. And, of course, we need to build support networks, because we know that the Palestinians have networks. That is evident from the protests on the universities, which were not spontaneous. We saw the same message in the US and in Europe, that is, they were well prepared and well funded. We should have our own networks too. We cannot fight the Palestinian networks without our own support networks. And, of course, there are Jews and evangelicals in the US. In the US, there is a lack of Israeli contextual information and the Prime Minister’s Office has not been able to build an effective network.
Should Israel plan to become more independent from the US in the long term, phase out the MOU and find other supply routes to make the relationship more equitable?
That’s absolutely true. Israel moved its production lines to the United States because defense aid made it cheaper to move production to the United States, and it was easier and more economically advantageous for military supplies. It is very important to bring production back to Israel and get rid of the dependency. The Israeli economy is strong enough that we don’t need to rely on defense aid, as we have for the last 20 years. It can be done.
If you do that, you will earn much more respect from the American people and from Congress. I recall in 1996, during his first term, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke to a joint session of Congress and said that Israel should eliminate civilian aid. We received $1.2 billion in civilian aid and $1.8 billion in military aid. Israel gave up all civilian aid.
In 20 years, we should say to ourselves, we don’t need military financing now, and we should buy it completely with our own money from our allies. We should get ahead of the situation before a future US president says it himself. Let’s not forget that the US has also gained defense cooperation because Israel has effectively used US equipment and seen how effective it is, and has essentially promoted the sale of US military equipment to other countries. We are also helping upgrade US equipment, which is in the interest of the US.
Polls show that a majority of Palestinians support October 7. How can Israel trust Palestinian institutions in the near future? Is the Palestinian Authority unreformable? Is the US demand for a Palestinian statehood a reward for Hamas?
“American pressure for a Palestinian state has been counterproductive. Any distance between the allies makes the cost of negotiations much higher. We know from past experience that what works best to bring the Palestinians to the negotiating table is a strong alliance between the United States and Israel, where the Palestinians know they cannot get any benefits or concessions in advance.”
It is too unreasonable that the three EU countries that have recognized the Palestinian state (Spain, Norway and Ireland) do not understand that recognition is something they get at the end of a negotiation process, not something they give at the beginning of the process. They are putting the Palestinians on a tree they cannot get off and cornering Israel. Israel is not going to compromise and this is the end before any future dialogue can even begin. The US understands that and does not recognize Palestine and has bipartisan support through its veto of UN Security Council resolutions. The US is the only country with practical experience in conflict negotiation. Europe is doing irresponsible things regarding recognition.
Some say Bibi Netanyahu is putting his own interests above those of the country. Should Netanyahu resign?
Bibi has long been the perfect person to explain Israel’s position. As Lord Acton said, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. What I want to say here is that Netanyahu now lacks the vigor and vision he had in the past. It is also true that his coalition and far-right partners have been useless in relations with the United States and continue to make mistakes. (Itamar) Ben Gvir and (Bezalel) Smotrich have no experience and do not understand the complexities of international dialogue. Bibi cannot control them, because he knows that they are the only reason he remains in power.
Why is the world against Israel when they have a front row seat at the UN? Even before Israel’s ground operations began, the majority of protests around the world were against Israel.
The most convincing answer is that anti-Zionism is the same as anti-Semitism. They want to believe the Palestinians’ lies, no matter how terrible they are. We see this in Gaza, Judea and Samaria. A striking example is when Palestinian-Israelis fired rockets at a hospital. The world was happy to denounce Israel as a criminal before the facts came out. And when the truth came out, the world didn’t care. We can’t even win if we lose. There are too many people in the world waiting for us to fail.
Is anti-Zionism the same as anti-Semitism?
That’s right. What is Zionism? It is the return of the Jewish people to Zion, to their own homeland. If you are against the right of the Jewish people to self-determination, to self-defense, and to live in their own land, you are not anti-Zionist, you are anti-Semitic. That is the same as anti-Semitism.
Are you optimistic about the next 76 years of Israel?
I am very optimistic. We have a lot of advantages. No one in history has risen from the ashes of a crematorium to the pinnacle of space exploration, with sophisticated satellites, advanced scientific achievements, diverse cultures, and undisputed strategic power, in just three generations.
Israeli society is very strong. Our achievements are due to our people, not to our government. Sometimes we achieve results against our government. We have an experienced and strong defense that knows what to do, a vibrant economy, cutting edge high technology. Our civil society is based on volunteerism. After October 7, the government was in disarray, but the Israeli people took the lead. I now fear not a threat from without, but a threat from within. (But) if we are united, no force can defeat us.
In January 2024, four months after the start of the war, Israelis were still the fifth happiest people in the world, and young people the second happiest. How can we explain this?
We are happy because, after 2000 years of exile, we have returned as a nation to our homeland. We are therefore safe and able to defend ourselves. This is the basis of our optimism. No matter from which angle you look at Israel, tourism, culture, unity, and the Jewish culture of family and community contribute to our peace of mind. When these exist, we are happy.
Dr. Mandel is director of MEPIN (Middle East Political Information Network) and Mandel Strategies, a consulting firm for Middle Eastern businesses and government officials, providing intelligence to members of parliament and foreign policy advisers.
