NATO and Israel – New Friends

by Daniel Pipes
Thu, 26 Oct 2006
updated Tue, 25 Dec 2007

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In his call to adapt the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to the problem of radical Islam, former Spanish prime minister José María Aznar deems bringing Israel into the alliance "an extremely important step." To some, it might also seem an extremely remote one, too.

	José María Aznar, former prime minister of Spain.

But a close look by Joshua Brilliant of United Press International, "Israel assesses NATO ties," finds the prospect not all that distant. In fact, both sides are warming to the idea. On the Israeli side,

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Tuesday [Oct. 24] addressed the opening session of a conference that NATO, the Israeli Atlantic Forum and the Institute for Policy and Strategy held in Herzliya. "Israel's traditional long-term policy has been one of self-reliance," she said. However, "the current threats necessitate international cooperation and multilateralism." NATO is "most essential" to meet these strategic threats because it has a just value system, a special ability to rapidly adapt to current strategic threats, and a unique approach that combines diplomacy with the use of military force when necessary, she said.

On the NATO side:

Al-Qaida‘s Sept. 11 attacks in the United States demonstrated that the major threat and challenges come from outside Europe, that terrorism is globalized, noted Patrick Hardouin, a deputy assistant secretary-general at NATO's Political Affairs and Security Policy Division. NATO decided to upgrade its dialogue with Mediterranean states. It launched Operation Active Endeavor in which its ships, submarines and aircraft carry out naval anti-terrorist patrols. Israel contributes to Active Endeavor. It will post an officer at NATO's headquarters in Naples to help with intelligence gathering so that the units at sea can be more effective.

Some of the cooperation is already quietly underway:

An Israeli corvette this summer participated in a NATO exercise in Romania. Infantrymen joined war games in the Ukraine and a NATO AWACS plane was in Israel demonstrating its capabilities. … Recently, Israel became the first country to conclude an Individual Cooperation Program with NATO. It covers 27 areas, including the fight against terrorism and joint military exercises, and goes beyond cooperation through the Mediterranean Dialogue.

That said, full membership in NATO will probably require full resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, something nowhere in prospect. In the meantime, Oded Eran, Israel's representative to NATO, emphasizes the benefit of a multilateral umbrella, without the attack-on-one-is-an-attack-on-all obligations. (October 26, 2006)

Jan. 23, 2007 update: Closer relations are proceeding, according to the Jerusalem Post's Yaakov Katz and Tovah Lazaroff in "NSC drafting strategy to make Israel a member of NATO": "government ministries are, for the first time, working on drafting a position paper that will include guidelines and a strategy for turning Israel into a full-fledged member of NATO." The article also notes several Western figures who support this move: former Spanish prime minister José María Aznar (whose deep thinking on this topic I have devoted a column to), former Senator John Edwards (Democrat of South Carolina), and General Lord Charles Guthrie of Craigiebank, former chief of the UK Defense Staff. In contrast, it quotes Josef Joffe, editor and publisher of Die Zeit, dubious that the deal would be good for Israel, as it would restrict Israel militarily.

June 26, 2007 update: Yaakov Katz reports on the visit to Israel of Assistant NATO Sec.-Gen. John Colston and the progress made in terms of bringing the Israel Defense Forces closer to joining global NATO missions. In brief, "the IDF agreed to upgrade relations and joint military training and exercises to enhance interoperability with the Western military alliance." In addition, the IDF plans to send a naval intelligence officer to participate in NATO's Active Endeavor anti-terror operation based in Naples and intelligence sharing was discussed.

Related Topics: Israel

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Reader comments on this weblog entry

Title	By	Date
Israel & NATO [52 words]	Kevin	Feb 8, 2007 20:28
Short-term perhaps... [87 words]	David W. Lincoln	Dec 26, 2006 14:18
YES!! [31 words]	Josh Rable	Dec 26, 2006 00:28

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