One has to understand the historical context: Egypt was then a great power. For hundreds of years, it had dominated all its neighbors, including the area of present-day Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. The Assyrians, on the other side, were an upstart force. After conquering the Kingdom of Israel in Samaria, the more important of the two Hebrew kingdoms, they tried to occupy the tiny kingdom of Judah, which relied for its defense on mighty Egypt.
Judah held out. For unknown reasons, the Assyrians lifted their siege and retreated from Jerusalem. The kingdom of Judah remained intact for another century-until the Babylonians, who took the place of the Assyrians, conquered it, too. Egypt could not save it. By that time, it had indeed become a bruised reed.
The United States is the modern heir of ancient Egypt. It is colossal, rich, and strong, a cultural, economic, and military power. Pharaoh, king of America, dominates the world as Pharaoh, king of Egypt, once dominated the Semitic region. And like any dominating empire, it is interested in the existing world order and defends the status quo against all rising forces in the world.
Israel, therefore, considers its special relationship with the United States as the foremost guarantee of its national security. No occupied territories nor weapon systems can be a substitute for the umbilical cord that connects Jerusalem with Washington, a connection that has no parallel in the present world, and perhaps even in history.
Many have tried-and are still trying-to explain this special relationship, but nobody has yet succeeded in measuring its full extent.
This relationship has an ideological dimension: the two states were created by immigrants from afar who took over a country and dispossessed the indigenous population. Both believed that they were chosen by God, who had given them the Promised Land. Both began with a beachhead from which they set off on a historic march that seemed irresistible-the Americans "from sea to shining sea," the Israelis from the coastal plain to the Jordan.
This relationship has a strategic dimension: Israel serves the essential American need for the domination of Middle East oil, while America serves the Israeli government's endeavor to dominate the country up to the Jordan and overcome the resistance of the local population.
This relationship has a political dimension: the United States has immense influence in Jerusalem, and Israel has immense influence in Washington. This influence is based on the millions of Jews who emigrated to America a century ago, They now constitute a powerful community, admirably organized, with a political-economic impact on