Israeli political leaders are overawed by the power of the United States, the world’s only superpower. What these politicians do not fully appreciate, however, is the political capital which Israel could harvest if her government prudently conveyed two facts:

1. How Al-Qaeda terrorists could cripple the American economy, and
2. How Israeli Intelligence and experience with this Islamic terrorism can contribute profoundly to American security and prosperity.

What Al-Qaeda could do and how Israel can stop it

Al-Qaeda knows that the destruction of the New York subway system along with the bridges feeding Manhattan would wreak far greater havoc on the American economy than the destruction of the Twin Towers. A wrecked American economy and the resulting unemployment could lead to domestic urban warfare on the part of certain disaffected ethnic and racial minorities. Israeli intelligence services are cognizant of America’s vulnerability situation and have the wherewithal to prevent its happening.

Many other aspects of American vulnerability to Islamic terror bear mention. These aspects render Israel’s superior intelligence capabilities all the more valuable. Former head of U.S. Air Force Intelligence General George Keegan said many years before 9/11 that the intelligence Israel’s intelligence services provide the United States is worth 50 CIA’s.

The IDF, furthermore, has saved America billions by conveying data on battle-tested aircraft, avionics. and other weapon systems. Americans need to know this. They need to know that Israel is not only quite capable of dealing with her enemies, but that these are the same enemies of the United States!

Israel as a high-tech and medical research center

Let us turn now to more gentle matters. Well-informed people know that Israeli hi-tech is unequaled and that Israel leads in many areas of medical research. More and more Americans are benefiting from Israeli science and medical discoveries. But this should be spelled out and made known to every American household.

The point is this: Just as Israelis are impressed by their country’s dependence on the United States, so Americans should be impressed by their country’s dependence on Israel. This is the kind of “hasbara” that Israel’s government should promote: that America needs Israel as much as Israel needs America.

How this teaching is “packaged” is of course important. But it’s about time that both Israeli and American Jews got the message.

Postscript

Readers are invited to supply solid evidence of America’s dependence on Israeli science, engineering, etc. For example:

1. The number of Israeli engineers that work in the U.S. and how this may translate into monetary terms;
2. Alleviation and cure of various illnesses thanks to Jewish medical research in Israel;
3. The number of jobs in America resulting from U.S. military aid to Israel.

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