By Dr. Sabir Abu Maryam
Secretary General Palestine Foundation Pakistan
(Palestine Foundation Information Center), The story of the diabolical alliance between America and Israel, which spans more than 75 years of history. In the previous column, the US political and economic cooperation from 1948 to 1967, as well as the US diplomatic support for Israel, was described. In this part of the column, the period from 1967 to 1973 regarding the alliance between America and Israel will now be reviewed, how and on which occasions the US government continued to fully support the usurper Zionist state of Israel, which included political, diplomatic and armed support.
This was the period when America began to consider Israel not just an ally but an integral part of its strategic interests. From here, America made Israel indispensable to itself in the region, and on the other hand, Israel also took full advantage of this support from America and further increased its expansionist ambitions.
When we talk about this alliance between the United States and Israel, it should be remembered that the history of America’s support for the usurper Zionist state of Israel is not limited to mere diplomatic cooperation. This support for Israel by the United States has transformed into a deep security partnership that has affected the politics, balance of war, and global strategy of West Asia. Not only this, but as mentioned above, Israel has increased its expansionist ambitions in the region due to this same support and cooperation from the United States, and today we see its results in the form of wars imposed on Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. If the initial period on the part of the United States was one of the establishment and political patronage of Israel, then the period from 1967 to 1973 proved to be the stage when the foundation of a real military and security relationship was laid between the two. This period consists of two major wars, namely the Six-Day War of 1967 and the Yom Kippur War of 1973. These two wars changed America’s thinking about Israel.
In the Six-Day War of June 1967, Israel achieved a stunning victory against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. In a few days, Israel not only defeated the Arab forces but also took control of vast areas. This was the time when the first Qibla of Muslims and the capital of Palestine, the first capital of the Islamic world, fell into Israeli hands. After this war, Israel began to be viewed from a new perspective in Washington. The United States realized that Israel had become an effective military power in West Asia that could defend Western interests against the Soviet-backed Arab countries. Therefore, the United States took full advantage of this opportunity and planned to further increase Israel’s military and military power. The changes that came after this war included a large-scale increase in arms sales to Israel, as well as expanded intelligence cooperation. Limited security cooperation began in the Mediterranean, and American agencies began to regularly assess Israeli military capabilities. However, even at this stage, relations did not develop into a full-fledged institutional alliance. However, reports from American agencies say that the United States had decided that it now had to make Israel completely invincible so that the Arab governments in the region that supported the Soviet Union could be completely broken. In October 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack, putting Israel under severe pressure. Initially, Israel’s military situation deteriorated sharply, and for the first time it became clear that Israel’s survival could be in danger without American help. At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir contacted US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and openly requested military assistance. The United States provided immediate and substantial assistance, as a result of which Israel was saved from possible defeat. This was where a fundamental change in American policy occurred. Kissinger’s principle was that Israel would never again be allowed to reach a state where its existence was threatened. The military and diplomatic support that America began to provide to Israel gave rise to the genocide of human beings in the world, which the world is witnessing with its own eyes today.
During the Yom Kippur War, the United States launched Operation Nickel Grass, the largest military airlift operation since World War II. Under this, more than eight thousand tons of weapons were sent to the usurping Zionist state of Israel. More than twenty-two thousand pieces of military equipment and ammunition were transferred to Israel by the United States. Similarly, tanks, Phantom aircraft parts, and air-to-ground missiles were provided. Deliveries continued day and night via C-5 and C-141 aircraft. This operation was historic because for the first time the United States directly intervened militarily to save Israel. This action later laid the foundation for the formal security pact of the United States that continues to this day and has resulted in massacres of people all over the world and genocide in Gaza and Lebanon.
After the Yom Kippur War, the United States came to the conclusion that if the Arab countries were many times larger in population than Israel and were receiving heavy weapons from the Soviet Union, then in order to survive, Israel must always be one generation ahead in technology, training, and weapons. This concept later came to be called the Qualitative Military Edge. This meant that Israel must have a significant technological advantage over its neighbors at all times, on every front, and in every military sector. This principle later became a permanent part of US national security policy. At first it was an informal strategy, but later it was included in various US laws. This trend continues to this day.
Between 1967 and 1973, the United States entered into a series of agreements with the occupying Zionist state of Israel, including the provision of heavy weapons after 1967, the establishment of a direct security contact line, and the Defense Coordination Agreement in 1973, the continuous transfer of modern weapons, the initial outlines of the QME policy, and then the basis for the 1975 Security Agreement, which later became the prelude to Camp David. In short, the period from 1967 to 1973 was a decisive turning point in the US-Israeli alliance. Before this period, Israel was an important ally, but after this period, it became the central pillar of American West Asian policy. This was the stage when Israel’s security began to be considered part of American national security, and this thought gave rise to an unusual and exceptional alliance in the coming decades. Even today, the American government adheres to the same formula and war has been imposed on Iran, putting Israel’s security first. Observers in the United States and Europe say that the United States is willing to sacrifice itself for Israel.
