Congress and the US-Israel 'strategic partnership'

The US Congress passed the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 at the beginning of December. The Senate had approved the draft bill in September and the final step of its path towards becoming law will be the president’s signature before it is enacted within a few days. This law is the fruit of the pro-Israel lobby’s efforts; along with compliant politicians in Washington lobbyists sought to demonstrate congressional “commitment to supporting our nation’s longstanding ally in the region, Israel”. So claims Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer, who led the efforts in this regard.

The new law will provide significant privileges for Israel in many aspects of its relationship with America. The most important is that it changes America’s political support for Israel; there will be a legal commitment to guarantee Israel’s military superiority, making it “stronger than all its opponents combined”. This law also dictates an increase in the number of American weapons stored in Israel to be used during times of emergency, valued at around $2 billion instead of $200 million at the moment.

It is well-known that Israel used these US weapons in its latest war on Gaza; the only requirement was for it to inform the Pentagon that it would need to use them. Thus, Israel has access to two arsenals; one built from US military support which provides it with the most up-to-date weapons, and the other from being handed the keys to American reserves. Is one arsenal not enough for Israel to continue to escalate its hostility and seize more Palestinian land by means of its settlement expansion?

The Strategic Partnership Act means that Israel joins the exclusive club of countries that receive special treatment from the United States in terms of easing procedures for visits and areas of cooperation and coordination. By passing the bill into law, a legal cover is being given to such privileges which, in fact, are already afforded to Israel.

Boxer insists that the law will “reinforce relations with Israel to an unprecedented level.” It is true that the relationship is strong and deep already, but putting it within this legally binding context protects it from any political upsets. Moreover, the timing of the bill suggests that there are other motives which have driven Congress to hasten its passage into law. For a start, it sends more than one message from Obama’s administration, which has had tense relations with the coalition government of Benjamin Netanyahu, to more than one party in Europe.

It is no coincidence that Congress is passing this particular bill only weeks before its session ends, as if it is racing against the clock. Nor does it seem like a coincidence that this is happening as a number of European parliaments are voting in support of recognition of a Palestinian state. This European approach, which is expected to continue, constitutes a turning point, even though these votes are as yet merely symbolic. That point notwithstanding, the votes have broken the fear barrier and overcome a previous taboo, giving the green light to start the process of formal government recognition of Palestine. This could just be a matter of time if the votes in Sweden and the UK are anything to go by.

US reactions appear to be coming to terms with the fact that this wave of popular support for Palestine cannot be stopped, at least not in Europe. This is very troubling for Israelis and their American supporters due to the impact it has had on the once dominant culture of unquestioned support for Israel. Hence, the bill was hurried through in order to reassure Israel as well as to send a message to America’s European allies that recognition of Palestine is rejected in Washington. America is going against the tide of history by enhancing and reinforcing its close relations with Israel; it’s a simple message: Congress will refuse to recognise a State of Palestine as long as Israel refuses likewise.

Congress’s measure will undoubtedly be utilised by Israel to its benefit, especially during the new congressional session next year. There are, therefore, two tasks which are imperative for the Arabs and Palestinians.

First, they must hasten the submission of the Arab League project to the UN Security Council. This dictates a timeframe for the end of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories by 2016. The Arabs and Palestinians can no longer stall on this, given that the UN General Assembly recognised a Palestinian state under occupation in 2013. The time has come to activate this resolution by means of international measures and granting the State of Palestine full UN membership. Even if there is a chance of a resumption of negotiations, a measure like this would strengthen the Palestinians’ position, not weaken it; the Oslo experience confirms this.

The second task is the need to intensify action across Europe in order to speed up the pace of voting in regional parliaments, with pressure on EU-member governments to respond to public demand for official recognition of a State of Palestine. The more that we see positive votes across Europe, the weaker the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 becomes, making it an isolated and irrelevant piece of legislation.

This relies on efforts by the Arab states as well as Arab organisations in America to build on the momentum of European recognition and put pressure on US decision-makers. The European votes are a strong justification for US recognition of a Palestinian state, especially if recent reports are accurate in suggesting that the Obama administration is determined to take practical measures regarding the issue of Israeli settlements. There is a chance that the US president may take a qualitative measure during his last quarter in office reflecting his personal convictions and well-known dislike for Netanyahu and provocative Israeli policies.

Translated from Al-Araby Al-Jadid, 11 December, 2014

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.