On March 20 President Barack Obama made his first trip to the state of Israel as an elected president. When Obama said that he has Israel’s back, he means it. In the past five years, the relationship between the United States and Israel knew some ups and downs; however, it is important to remember that friends don’t always think alike. There are many issues that friends have different opinions about; however, friends stay together in good or bad times. The special relationship between Israel and the United States started 65 years ago, and with every day that goes by, the unique bond between our countries is getting stronger and stronger. For two countries that share the same basic values — freedom, liberty, diversity — we can be sure that there is a bright future.
Today, Israel needs a strong America, and America needs a strong Israel more than ever. With different challenges that our countries face: a Middle East that is the most unstable it has ever been, a volatile global economy and the rise of a nuclear Iran — it is important to walk together side by side.
College students are the next leaders of this country and, therefore, we need to make sure that we are supporting one of the few democracies in the Middle East, Israel. The best way to do so is to get educated about the different issues and topics that are currently taking place. On campus, Students Supporting Israel is working as hard as possible to educate our fellow students about the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship. As an Israeli student that moved to Minnesota less than five years ago, I can proudly say that I love the United States and I love Israel. As long as I am on this campus I will do my best to represent both countries. Following the tragic attack on the U.S. embassy in Libya, Israel was the only country in the Middle East where a U.S. embassy was never in any danger of attack.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East that has a democratically elected government, with equal rights for all its citizens, and a totally free and independent press. Israel is the only country in the Middle East that has spoken out publicly against the danger that a nuclear Iran poses, and is actually doing something about it.
Obama showed the whole world that he stands by Israel when it is threatened with annihilation from its enemies both near and far — from terrorist groups like Hamas and radical Islamic regimes pursuing nuclear weapons like in Iran.