The greatest strength of the US-Israel relationship has always been that it united two independent democracies pursuing common objectives while retaining the freedom to protect their own interests.
For decades, Israel and the United States have proudly described their relationship as one built on shared values, shared interests, and shared threats. The relationship survived political disagreements, military conflicts, and changing administrations because it rests upon something deeper than temporary policy alignment: mutual respect between two sovereign democracies. Yet recent developments surrounding American negotiations with Iran raise an uncomfortable question that many Israelis are increasingly asking: Can a nation remain fully sovereign if another country, even its closest ally, expects it to comply with agreements it neither negotiated nor approved.
The issue is not whether the United States has the right to pursue diplomatic engagement with Iran. Every sovereign nation has that right. Nor is the issue whether Israel and America should occasionally disagree. Healthy alliances are built to withstand disagreements. The issue is whether Israel’s security decisions are gradually being subordinated to American political calculations. Recent media reports suggest that Washington has negotiated understandings with Tehran without meaningful Israeli participation and has subsequently expected Israel to conform to arrangements whose details remain unclear. If true, this represents more than a diplomatic disagreement. It raises fundamental questions about sovereignty itself.
The irony is difficult to ignore. When the United States concluded that Iran’s nuclear ambitions represented a threat to global stability, it was prepared to project military power halfway around the world. American leaders justified such actions under the universally accepted principle that nations have the right, and indeed the obligation, to protect themselves and their citizens from emerging existential threats. Israel shares that assessment regarding Iran. (Ed note: This article, dated June 19. 2026 is from a somewhat liberal Jerusalem Post.) (Read More)
