Israel: Background and Relations with the United States

Abstract

On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel declared its independence and was immediately engaged in a war with all of its neighbors. Armed conflict has marked every decade of Israel's existence. Despite its unstable regional environment, Israel has developed a vibrant parliamentary democracy, albeit with relatively fragile governments. Most recently, the Kadima Party placed first in the March 28, 2006, Knesset (parliament) election, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert formed a four-party coalition government. Israel has an advanced industrial, market economy in which the government plays a substantial role. Israel's foreign policy is focused largely on its region, Europe, and the United States. Since 1948, the United States and Israel have developed a close friendship based on common democratic values, religious affinities, and security interests. U.S.-Israeli bilateral relations are multidimensional. The United States is the principal proponent of the Arab-Israeli peace process, but U.S. and Israeli views differ on various peace process issues, such as the fate of the Golan Heights, Jerusalem, and Israeli settlements. The United States and Israel concluded a free-trade agreement in 1985, and the United States is Israel's largest trading partner. Since 1976, Israel has been the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid. The two countries also have close security relations. Current issues in U.S.-Israeli relations include Israel's military sales to China, inadequate Israeli protection of U.S. intellectual property, and espionage-related cases. This report replaces CRS Issue Brief IB82008, "Israel: Background and Relations with the United States," and will be updated as developments warrant. See also CRS Report RL33530, "Israeli-Arab Negotiations: Background, Conflicts, and U.S. Policy," CRS Report RL33566, "Israel-Hamas-Hezbollah: the Current Conflict," and CRS Report RL33222, "U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel."

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 26, 2006
Accession Number
ADA482845

Entities

People

  • Carol Migdalovitz

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Counter WMD
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • European Union
  • Foreign Aid
  • Foreign Policy
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Intellectual Property
  • International Law
  • Law
  • Man Borne Improvised Explosive Devices
  • National Security
  • Political Systems
  • Renewable Energy
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • Warning Systems

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution