Israel's sovereignty at risk as US-Iran deal sidelines its interests

The long-standing relationship between Israel and the United States, built on shared values and mutual respect, is being tested by recent developments surrounding American negotiations with Iran. An uncomfortable question is emerging among Israelis: can a nation truly remain sovereign if its closest ally expects compliance with agreements it neither negotiated nor approved?

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Can a nation remain fully sovereign if another country, even its closest ally, expects it to comply with agreements it neither negotiated nor approved?

While the US has the right to engage diplomatically with Iran, and alliances are expected to withstand disagreements, the core issue lies in whether Israel's security decisions are being increasingly dictated by American political considerations. Reports indicate that Washington has reached understandings with Tehran without meaningful Israeli participation, subsequently expecting Israel to adhere to these arrangements.

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Israel has lived under direct Iranian threats for decades. It has absorbed attacks from Iranian proxies. It has watched Hezbollah accumulate one of the world’s largest missile arsenals along its northern border. It has endured October 7 and understands perhaps better than any nation the catastrophic consequences of underestimating declared enemies.

This situation presents a stark contradiction. The US, which projected military power globally to counter Iran's nuclear ambitions based on the principle of self-defense, now appears to be asking Israel to exercise restraint in defending its own interests. Israel, having faced direct threats and attacks from Iranian proxies for decades, finds this expectation difficult to reconcile with the universally accepted right of nations to protect themselves from existential threats. The article suggests this dynamic challenges the very notion of Israeli sovereignty.

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Yet Israel increasingly finds itself being told that while America can act decisively to defend its interests, Israel must exercise restraint when defending its own.