The scope of military intelligence transferred by Israel to the US exceeds that which is transferred by all NATO countries combined. Israeli intelligence, shared with the US, plays a key role in US counter-terrorism efforts in general, and the campaign against Iran’s nuclearization in particular.

According to the late General Alexander Haig, who was Supreme Commander of NATO and U.S. Secretary of State: “Israel is the largest American aircraft carrier, which does not require a single U.S. aircraft or boot on board; cannot be sunk; and is deployed in a vital area for critical U.S. commercial and military interests. If there were not a Jewish state in the eastern flank of the Mediterranean, then the U.S. would have to deploy additional aircraft carriers and tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers to the Mediterranean. It would have cost the American taxpayers some $15 billion annually, which is spared by a viable Jewish state.”

Yoram Ettinger is a former Israeli ambassador and head of “Second Thought: A U.S.–Israel Initiative.”