Every time an American president disappoints Israel, the same reaction returns: “It's Trump who has changed,” “it's Biden,” “it's Obama,” “it’s the man.” But perhaps the problem is that we keep looking at the man instead of the empire.
In recent weeks, many in Israel have been surprised to discover that even Donald Trump, long seen as Israel’s greatest friend, is making decisions that do not always align with Israeli interests. As if a treaty had been broken. As if a good friend had betrayed another.
But empires do not conduct friendships. They conduct interests.
One of the most famous lines in film history comes from “The Godfather”: “It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business.” This may be the most accurate way to understand American foreign policy.
It does not matter whether the president is Trump, Biden, Reagan or Kennedy. His mission is not to take care of Israel but to take care of the United States.
Hollywood has repeated this idea again and again. In the film “Wall Street,” Gordon Gekko says: “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.” Not because greed is a moral value, but because large systems operate on interests, not emotions.
Israelis sometimes tend to view relations with the United States through the concepts of family, alliance or friendship. America views them through the language of power. If Israel strengthens America’s position in the Middle East, it is an asset. If it drags the United States into a conflict that does not serve its goals, it may become a burden.
This is not pleasant to hear, but it is not betrayal. It is simply a completely different definition of the relationship.
The Americans did not become the world’s sole superpower because of sentiment. They did so through cold calculation of interests. Therefore, the debate in Israel should be less about Trump and more about America, and less about what the current president thinks of us.
We must ask: are we still a strategic asset for the world’s strongest power?
If the answer is yes, support will continue. If the answer is no, no emotional speech about friendship will help.
Shahar SegalPhoto: Motti KimchiPerhaps for that reason, the most fitting closing line comes from the film “Patton”:
“America loves a winner and will not tolerate a loser.”
The line was spoken about the battlefield, but it also describes very well how superpowers view the world. Not through friends. Not through emotions. Not through historical obligations.
Through power, success and utility.
The real question is not what Trump thinks about Israel, but whether Israel still matters to America. Everything else is interpretation.