For all their longstanding defense ties, Israel and the U.S. have no mutual defense treaty. In the weeks before Israel鈥檚 Sept. 17 elections President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both spoke favorably of negotiating one. Whether they were serious or simply wanted to bolster Mr. Netanyahu鈥檚 political support is unclear. In any case, a few observations are in order.
The U.S. is party to various kinds of defense treaties. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is the most far-reaching. The treaty states that 鈥渁n armed attack against one [ally] . . . shall be considered an attack against them all.鈥� Other bilateral U.S. defense treaties create lesser obligations鈥攖o consult about threats, to recognize that an attack on one would endanger peace and safety of the other, to meet common dangers in accordance with one鈥檚 own constitutional processes.
American and Israeli officials have long refrained from negotiating a mutual defense treaty because it was judged unnecessary and potentially harmful to both countries. Israelis worried mainly about their own freedom of action; they didn鈥檛 want to have to ask U.S. permission before taking steps to defend their state. U.S. officials didn鈥檛 want to have to grant or deny such permission鈥攐r to 鈥渙wn鈥� Israeli military operations.
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