The United States and Israel: how the relationship works
The United States recognised Israel within minutes of independence in 1948 and has been its most consistent military, diplomatic and economic partner since. The relationship rests on a ten-year military aid framework, a long pattern of US vetoes shielding Israel at the UN Security Council, and a deep but contested role for Israel in American domestic politics. This explainer traces the foundations, the formal instruments, and the points of friction.
