US Support for Israeli Military Actions Increased Following 9/11 Attacks

US-Palestinian American Reflects on Impact of 9/11 on US-Israel Relations

A Palestinian American resident of New York City recalls the events surrounding the September 11 attacks in 2001. The individual, who grew up just across the Hudson River from Manhattan, had previously worked as a tour guide for family members visiting from the Middle East.

On August 29, 2001, the author took visitors to the observation deck of the World Trade Center’s “Top of the World” tower. Two weeks later, on September 11, 2001, the tower and the entire World Trade Center complex were destroyed in a terrorist attack that killed nearly 3,000 people.

In response to the attacks, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the event would generate immediate sympathy for US-Israel relations. He acknowledged that the situation was not “very good” but believed it would create a bond between the two nations.

The author notes that the period leading up to 9/11 was complex for US-Israel relations. The end of the Cold War had shifted the international landscape, and Israel’s actions during the first Palestinian Intifada were increasingly at odds with the new world order.

The September 11 attacks provided an opportunity for the US and Israel to align on a new global threat: radical Islam. Netanyahu and his allies recognized this shift in the global paradigm and used it to reframe US-Israel relations.

The author argues that understanding the context of the time is crucial to grasping the impact of 9/11 on US-Israel relations. The period between the end of the Cold War and 9/11 saw significant changes in international relations, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of apartheid in South Africa.

These events created a power vacuum that allowed Israel to reposition itself as a key ally in the fight against radical Islam. The US made significant investments in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking efforts during this period, but the September 11 attacks marked a significant shift back towards a more pro-Israel stance.

Source: Al Jazeera