Opinion

Israel Has No Choice Left But to Stand Up

Israel must show that it is not a vassal of the U.S. or even its fifty-first state, but a sovereign nation with an unassailable duty to defend its land and citizens.

Some of the themes below may be familiar to Clarity readers. They are worth reiterating in the current context.

One of the most frequently asked questions I’ve recently been asked in Israeli media interviews is “Do you think Israel has become the fifty-first state?” Half-jokingly I answer, “If only. American states have far more freedom and maneuverability than Israel!”

If the question is relatively new, my answer is not. Ever since President Eisenhower ordered Prime Minister Ben-Gurion to halt the IDF’s 1956 campaign against Egypt in Sinai, and later to withdraw from Gaza, the United States has consistently forced Israel to stop fighting and agree to a ceasefire. This was true in the Six-Day War, which Israel wanted to last eight days, in the Yom Kippur War, in both Lebanon Wars, and all of our operations in Gaza. Even pro-Israel presidents such as Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and George Bush threatened serious repercussions if Israel ignored their orders to stop.

In May 2021, on the eighth day of Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas, I received a phone call from one of President Biden’s senior advisors asking me to forward a message to Prime Minister Netanyahu. “Israel must end the operation tonight or risk losing American support.” Netanyahu was furious—he wanted to keep fighting another three days at least—yet he immediately complied. The operation ended that evening.

The only difference between Trump and previous U.S. presidents is his tendency to treat us publicly as vassals who must obey his every command. The situation is humiliating and demoralizing for Israel. It also, unfortunately, strengthens our enemies. The question then arises whether Israel in every circumstance and at all costs must obey the White House’s demands.

The answer, historically, has been “no.” American presidents not only ordered Israel to stop fighting but opposed its decision to go to war in the first place. That was the case in every war between the establishment of the state and last year’s Operation Rising Lion. Yet Israeli leaders, despite the danger of alienating Washington, determined that our fundamental security was at stake and decided to act.

Ironically, every time Israel defied the White House and went to war—in 1948, for example, in 1967, and in the 1981 attack on the Iraqi nuclear reactor—we gained America’s respect. Every time we gave in to pressure and showed restraint—in 1973 and the Gulf War of 1991—we earned America’s contempt.

This record is especially relevant today when there is little doubt that Hezbollah will violate any ceasefire and continue to attack us. Israel has to defend and save the north, yet doing so risks not only war with Iran but an open confrontation with President Trump. As in the past, Israel will have no choice but to act.

While mindful of the potential costs, Israel must show that it is not a vassal of the U.S. or even its fifty-first state, but a sovereign nation with an unassailable duty to defend its land and citizens. In the end—if history is a guide—Trump will respect us for it.

Originally published on Clarity with Michael Oren · Substack