Israel and NATO Enhance Relationship

10/1/2008

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Since World War II, 26 countries have established a defensive alliance that would collectively respond to an attack by any outside party. This pact, called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), was meant to deter the Soviet Union from invading western Europe. Today, the Soviet Union is no more, but NATO continues to be an important player in the war on terrorism and an organization whose relationship with Israel is expanding.

NATO-Israel Ties are Growing

Although Israel is not a member of NATO, the Jewish state participates in some of the alliance’s cooperative forums. One of these is the Mediterranean Dialogue, a forum of seven Arab countries that work alongside Israel to contribute to the stability of the Mediterranean region. The existence of such a working group reflects NATO’s view that security in Europe is linked to a stable Mediterranean region.

Through the Mediterranean Dialogue, NATO and Israel have finalized an Individual Cooperation Program (ICP) agreement—the first such deal outside the Euro-Atlantic arena. It allows Israel to contribute assets to NATO operations and take part in the alliance’s burden sharing. Some analysts have called the ICP agreement a de facto partnership between NATO and Israel and a sign that ties will continue to grow.

There has been a decades-long debate within Israel about whether full NATO membership would bring a higher level of security relative to the obligations it would incur.  However, regardless of Israel’s official status with NATO, having the United States treat Israel as an equal to its NATO partners in terms of releasing defense technology is an important goal for maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge.

NATO, Israel Face Mutual Threats 

Following the 9/11 attacks on the United States, NATO invoked, for the first time in its history, Article 5 of its charter, which says that an attack on one member is an attack on all members. The fight against Islamist terrorism has since been a permanent agenda item for NATO. 

Because of this commitment, NATO has become actively engaged and works closely with partner countries, including Israel, in the fight against terrorism.

In 2006, then-Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar recognized Israel’s role. “Treating Israel as if it were not an integral part of the Western world is a big mistake that will affect our ability to prevail in this long war against jihadism,” Aznar said. “I think it is in our mutual interests to have Israel as a formal ally. The West cannot fight this radical tide without Israel.”

NATO Expansion Sends Signal to Potential Adversaries

NATO’s collective defense commitment protects its member states while simultaneously putting countries outside the alliance at a higher risk. The most recent example of such a situation was the lead up to the Georgia-Russia conflict. During the Bucharest Summit last April, President Bush called for increased cooperation between NATO and Georgia, but his suggestion was shelved. Some experts opined that the suspension of Georgia’s consideration for membership emboldened Russia to invade Georgia, knowing that NATO members had little desire to defend it.

The same logic could be applied to the NATO-Israel relationship. In the Middle East, Iran is looking for weakness. With a missile arsenal that can reach parts of Europe and a rapidly expanding nuclear program, Iran threatens both Israel and NATO countries. A strong Israel-NATO relationship is likely to influence Iran’s calculations as it forges ahead with its atomic work. As the threats from Iran and global jihad bring Israel and NATO into closer alignment, the two parties will benefit from enhanced ties and cooperation.  •NER•

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