Israeli lawmakers gathered Wednesday to honor America’s approaching 250th anniversary, but their celebration carried an urgent warning: the decades-old partnership between the two nations cannot be taken for granted.
The conference, hosted by the Knesset’s Israel-US caucus, featured repeated declarations that while the alliance remains robust and active, it faces unprecedented challenges that demand constant attention and effort.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described the event to The Media Line as “a wonderful opportunity to once again celebrate the partnership between the US and Israel.” With America’s milestone anniversary approaching, he called it “quite appropriate” to acknowledge Israel as “our most trusted and cherished partner in the world.”
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, a senior Likud party member, established the conference’s tone early in his remarks. “Today, Israel, the Jewish people, and the entire free world, face the twin threats of terrorism and antisemitism,” he declared. “Those who chant ‘death to America’ also chant ‘death to Israel’.”
Ohana highlighted what he characterized as extraordinary cooperation between Jerusalem and Washington, noting that “President Trump has met with Prime Minister Netanyahu seven times in 13 months, unprecedented by any measure.” He praised Ambassador Huckabee for defending Israel publicly “with the courage and composure of Daniel in the lion’s den.”
While the anniversary celebration provided the official purpose for the gathering, speakers delivered a more strategic message about emerging threats to the relationship – not diplomatic or military divisions, but subtler, longer-lasting challenges.
Ambassador Huckabee emphasized the mutual benefits of the partnership, explaining that the annual $3.8 billion aid package represents just “0.005% of the US budget.” He stressed it’s “not a one-way street. It is a two-way street,” noting that ammunition used by Israeli forces is manufactured “just outside of Little Rock, Arkansas, where I live,” and Israeli missile defense components are also produced in his home state.
However, Huckabee moved beyond economic arguments, saying “Let’s not put it in economic terms. Let’s put it in something more important, something even deeper.” He argued that the countries share a “Judeo-Christian foundation.”
Likud lawmaker Ohad Tal reinforced the investment argument, stating bluntly, “The $3.8 billion that the US gives to Israel every year isn’t aid. It is America’s smartest and highest return investment.” Quoting former Secretary of State Alexander Haig, Tal called Israel “the largest American aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk” and “America’s most cost-effective aircraft carrier that does not need to be moved.”
Yet Tal warned that support for Israel faces pressure across the political spectrum. The alliance, he said, is “constantly challenged in college campuses, in the streets of Western capitals, in the media, in think tanks, in civil society organizations, and even in parts of Washington.” He specifically named American right-wing figures, saying “Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson, and others have joined the radical left and Islamists in their hatred for Jews.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, also from Likud, emphasized the partnership’s ideological foundation. “This is not charity. This is partnership,” she said, adding that “Israel has never had a better friend in the White House than President Donald J. Trump.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar praised Trump’s regional impact following the Gaza conflict. President Trump, Sa’ar said, “has proven time and again that he deserves the title, the leader of the free world,” claiming his leadership “made our region and the world a safer place.”
Sa’ar credited the Trump-supported 20-point plan with ending the war, stating it “helped bring about the release of all our hostages.” He said “at the heart of this plan are the disarmament of Hamas and Islamic Jihad” along with Gaza’s demilitarization and Palestinian society’s deradicalization.
Despite the praise for current cooperation, concerns about the future emerged throughout the event. Yesh Atid party member Michal Shir told The Media Line that while “the very strong relationship and friendship … is crucial for the future of both nations,” she cautioned that “the world is changing” with “tectonic plates shifting since we haven’t seen since World War II.”
She warned that younger generations are “being influenced by social media” and that rising antisemitism is changing public opinion. “We see the numbers. These are not good numbers,” she said. In her conference remarks, she described antisemitism as “a test of Western civilization itself,” adding that “the fight against antisemitism is not Israel’s fight alone.”
Carole Nuriel from the Anti-Defamation League provided troubling statistics to support these concerns. “For the Jews in the diaspora, and certainly in the US, there is no ceasefire,” she said. “We are talking about 10,000 [antisemitic] events a year in the US.”
She reported that Americans holding antisemitic views have increased from “11-12%” historically to “24%” currently. “One out of four Americans,” she said, maintains “significant antisemitic attitudes.”
Rotem Oreg-Kalisky, founder of Israeli NGO Librael, shared polling data highlighting the challenge. He said “53% of Americans hold a negative opinion on Israel,” while among Americans under 30, “Only 24% hold a positive opinion on Israel.”
He observed that arguments about technology innovation or military cooperation fail to connect with audiences focused on human rights, because those who cannot support Israel based on values like “justice, peace, equality, and human rights” are not interested in Israel’s technology sector.
While calling President Trump “a true friend of the State of Israel,” Oreg-Kalisky added, “The bad news, he will not be president for a long time,” urging preparation “for every scenario.”
Yasmin Lukatz, executive director of the Israel Collaboration Network, described a fundamental shift in how the alliance is discussed. “The discussion used to be how to strengthen the connection between Israel and the United States,” she said. “It turned into the question: Why do we even need the connection?” She maintained the relationship remains “win-win” based on shared values and mutual interests, but acknowledged the debate has reached schools, campuses, and boardrooms.
Former Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Herzog cautioned against confusing current strength with permanent security. “For the American Jewish community, added to the traumatic date of October 7th, is October 8th,” he said, describing “an unprecedented wave of antisemitism.” He warned that “we should never take our relations for granted” and called for “a long-term strategy” and continued bipartisan investment.
The most personal testimony came from Orna and Ronen Neutra, parents of Omer Neutra, an American-Israeli soldier killed on October 7 whose body was kidnapped and later returned for burial. They described raising their son with “Jewish-Zionist education” and “a close and ongoing connection to the State of Israel,” saying he “chose to come to Israel, to enlist in the IDF, and to become a combat officer out of a sense of responsibility.”
Because Omer held American citizenship, they acted quickly in Washington, with a letter about his case reaching the White House on October 8, 2023. “Within a few days, we understood that the struggle for the release of the hostages does not take place only in Israel,” they said. “It takes place also in the United States, and mainly in Washington.”
They described initial “listening, openness and identification” across party lines, but noted that “as the war continued, we saw cracks, mainly among the younger generation. Less connection, less identification, less sense of partnership.”
Other lawmakers invoked history and tradition to emphasize continuity. National Religious Party member Simcha Rothman referenced early American precedent, distinguishing between tolerance and belonging while insisting the bond should remain “forever strong.” Yesh Atid’s Moshe Tur-Paz, the caucus co-chair, used Purim imagery to stress unity against current threats. “We say to Haman, we say to Iran, we are not scattered,” he declared. “We are together.”
Former Israeli ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely described “a war of values,” adding “identity” as a third pillar alongside the traditional diplomatic focus on security and prosperity.
Boaz Bismuth from Likud, who chairs the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, rejected narratives of isolation. “Israel is not alone,” he said. Still, he acknowledged regional uncertainty. “These are very, very challenging days,” he said, adding, “I am very anxious to know what tomorrow will bring.”
Israeli Druze politician Afif Abed of Likud addressed the conference in Hebrew, highlighting what he called the historic bond between the Druze community and Israel. He referenced the longstanding “blood covenant” between Druze citizens and the Jewish state, discussing Druze villages under attack in the north and thanking Israel for supporting the community during crises.
Abed connected the US-Israel alliance’s strength to regional stability, arguing that close Washington ties strengthen Israeli security and, consequently, the security of minority communities whose futures are linked to the state.
The anniversary provided the framework for the gathering, but the real discussion centered on deeper concerns. While Huckabee spoke of trust and partnership, others presented polling data, antisemitic incidents, and generational changes. The relationship appears solid at the government level, but whether that strength extends throughout American society remained an unresolved question hanging over the proceedings.
