Zineb Riboua
For half a century, American policy toward Israel remained stagnant. Successive administrations spoke of peace, but treated Israel’s strength as a diplomatic problem to be managed rather than a foundation for regional stability. The vocabulary of diplomacy shifted from one administration to another, but the substance remained unchanged. Washington pressed Israel to yield, comforted Arab leaders with gestures, and preserved a peace process that produced neither peace nor progress.
The modern framework of U.S. policy toward Israel began under President Jimmy Carter in 1978 with the Camp David Accords. The peace between Egypt and Israel was an extraordinary achievement; however, it also established a pattern that would define American diplomacy. From that moment, Washington began to view itself less as Israel’s strategic partner and more as a neutral intermediary, pressing Jerusalem to make concessions in pursuit of regional stability.
In fact, under President George H. W. Bush, this mindset became policy. In 1991, his administration withheld ten billion dollars in loan guarantees to pressure Israel over settlements. What started as a posture of neutrality gradually turned into a policy of pressure, with Washington using its influence not to deter Israel’s enemies but to restrain Israel itself.
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