Despite latest chink, Israel bond with U.S. remains strong

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to Washington, D.C., this week, there was no color guard, no handshake photo-op.

Instead, the apparent cooling of relations between Israel and the United States continued unabated. Talks between Netanyahu and President Barack Obama brought about no breakthroughs in the impasse over Israeli construction in east Jerusalem.

Israel’s unwillingness to bend, and America’s displeasure over it, surely will not end soon. Thus many in the Jewish community wonder if this marks the beginning of a troubling turn in relations between the United States and Israel.

We have editorialized against the administration for its overheated rhetoric and scolded Israel for its poor timing in announcing east Jerusalem construction plans. We also supported Israel’s right to develop its capital city. As Netanyahu put it this week, “Jerusalem is not a settlement.”

Yet despite the latest flap, we believe the alliance between the two countries remains sound.

As our stories this week show, the administration has not altered its Middle East policy. In her AIPAC address, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reaffirmed America’s commitment to a two-state solution and to standing with Israel in the face of its adversaries.

Moreover, in his AIPAC speech Netanyahu acknowledged that “America’s commitment to Israel’s security has been unwavering.”

And that is the bottom line. If U.S.-Israel relations were a finely tuned sports car, this latest disagreement would be nothing more than chipped paint on the hood. No one likes chipped paint, but it is insignificant when contrasted with the well-tuned engine underneath.

Consider the thriving cultural, academic, business and military exchanges between our two countries. All are in great shape.

Consider America’s staunch position on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. There may be some daylight between Israel and the United States on east Jerusalem, but not on Iran, which poses an existential threat to Israel.

And finally, consider this: Whether or not the Obama administration follows the advice of AIPAC Executive Director Howard Kohr to keep disagreements out of the public eye, those disagreements will never undo the bond between the two countries. The American people will not permit it.

Sure, we’d like to see the paint job done. It’s best to have the public face of U.S.-Israel relations appear in full accord, and we hope the Obama team adopts the Kohr approach.

But we still believe the car runs great.