PREFACE

Qatari cash inspired this guide – although the author and the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) – have never received a penny from that Gulf State monarchy, unlike so many others. In May 2025, when Donald Trump accepted a Boeing 747-8 jetliner from his Qatari hosts, many feared the U.S.-Israel partnership was doomed. The word of the week was “transactional.” Israel’s supporters wondered: “how can Israel compete with a $400 million flying palace?” This Essential Guide to the U.S.-Israel Partnership asks: “How can Qatar – or any other country – compete with Israel’s many diplomatic, military, intelligence, medical, technological, and cultural gifts to America? America invests $3.8 billion annually to work hand-in-glove with Israel; America spends $55 billion annually to house troops in Europe, Japan, and South Korea, only to feel increasingly let down.

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, this Guide encourages Americans to appreciate their DIY ally – a Defend-It-Yourself democracy protecting Western civilization, too. Building to July 4, 2026, and beyond, Americans and Israelis should toast this remarkable friendship rooted in aligned values, shared interests, intertwined fates, and common enemies.

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a long-delayed and much-justified war against Iran. As of this writing, the cooperation has been astonishing, the military gains have been historic – even as tensions over the final results soared. U.S. Air Force tankers refueled Israeli Air Force jets to then fly almost side-by-side with American F-15s and F-35s, guided by integrated intelligence. Americans and Israelis staffed joint command centers in Tel Aviv on Israeli Air Force bases. This was Israel’s first English-language war, on U.S. time – Greenwich Mean Time, which America’s military uses.

This Essential Guide offers the prequel to this conflict – even as Israelis and President Trump clash over his vision for ending the war. No matter what happens, the joint operation marked the culmination of decades of diplomatic teamwork, intelligence sharing, military partnership, and deep friendships, individually and communally. JPPI is publishing this Guide now, because it’s important to understand the history of the alliance and its fundamentals – especially as critics blast the war, while exaggerating Israel’s role in the build-up. Even many American Jews are torn. One JPPI mid-March survey found 68 percent of “connected” American Jews supporting the war – despite 52 percent expecting American antisemitism to then increase. But 70 percent of American Jews call themselves Democrats, and as many as 86 percent of Democrats condemned the war. Senator Tim Kaine – a former Vice-Presidential nominee – snapped: “Trump has launched an unnecessary, idiotic, and illegal war against Iran that puts America’s servicemembers and embassy personnel at risk.”

The gap between what Americans think about a war when it starts and when it finishes depends on what unfolds. But the deeper need to understand this increasingly important alliance, precisely when America’s relationship with Europe is increasingly fraught, will only grow.

Like The Essential Guide to October 7 – and The Essential Guide to Zionism, Anti-Zionism, Antisemitism, and Jew-Hatred – this e-book is a joint publishing venture with the Jewish world. We encourage organizations, foundations, federations, synagogues and schools to send out or, even better, print out the PDF with the cover, both of which are available on the JPPI website.

For more copies of this guidebook or to discuss organizational collaborations and sponsorships please email: info@jppi.org.il

I am incredibly grateful to my extraordinary colleagues at JPPI, The Jewish People Policy Institute, the Global Think Tank of the Jewish People, for inspiration, illumination and support. Yedidia Stern, Shuki Friedman, Ita Alcalay, Eliran Carsenti, Moshe Cohen, Shlomo Fischer, Sam Hyde, Yaakov Katz, On Levy, Dov Maimon, Adi Shirazi, and Noah Slepkov made great contributions to the Guide – or are about to! Special thanks to Barry Geltman for his thoughtful editing, and Maya Haser for the colorful graphics. I also thank my assistant Matt Shapiro for all his talents.

In memory of our fallen, especially the forty Americans killed in Israel since October 7 and the thirteen American soldiers killed in the Iran conflict. Their deaths represent the living bridge linking America and Israel, which because of their heroism, will endure.

Professor Gil Troy, Jerusalem, July, 2026