Israel and its relationship to the Islamic State

Jonathan Yen | Mises Institute

This week, ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria), also known as ISIL, IS, or Daesh, has reappeared in the headlines following the killing of two Iowa National Guardsman — Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard — in an ISIS airstrike in Palmyra, Syria. These two American men are only the latest of the over 40,000 soldiers, from numerous different nations, who have lost their lives in the war against ISIS — a war which America's supposed greatest ally against terrorism, Israel, has not assisted.

The AIPAC website proudly proclaims that Israel is an "Indispensable Ally" against terrorism; and indeed, the Trump administration has continued funding the Israeli government at massive expense, including a $4 billion dollar military aid package earlier this year.

Just this last week, a Newsweek Opinion author insisted that the United States must continue to support Israel, claiming:

"Instability around Israel does not stay local. It affects energy markets, counterterrorism efforts, nuclear proliferation, regional power balances and American credibility worldwide. A weakened Israel would invite wider conflict and embolden adversaries far beyond the region. Supporting Israel is not about subsidizing complacency. It is about preventing dangerous chain reactions in one of the world's most volatile regions."

A similar opinion piece in the New York Times bemoaned the breakdown of American support for Israel, claiming that Israel and the United States have been natural allies in the fight against "radical Islam." But is this true? Are these calls by regime media for a closer military relationship with Israel to stop terrorism based in fact? In fact, why does ISIS still have a presence in Syria at all?

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