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As the U.S. Steps Out of the Middle East, It Must Help Israel Step Up
(The Hill) John Hannah and Michael Makovsky - Israel has the Middle East's most powerful military. Its intelligence service is arguably the world's best. It's a scientific superpower and global leader in cutting-edge technologies central to the future of U.S. national security, including missile defense, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Israel's assessment of the region's greatest threats mirrors Washington's. Israel's government and people are viscerally pro-American. It has become a strategic pillar of the West, countering American adversaries and bolstering American friends. Israel is the only country undertaking sustained operations to thwart Iran's regional expansionism, conducting thousands of strikes against Iranian-linked targets in Syria. Its operatives have repeatedly penetrated Iran's nuclear program, stealing its most guarded secrets, blowing up key facilities, and eliminating the mastermind of its weapons program. Israel helps Egypt contain the Islamic State in the Sinai. Its military and intelligence cooperation are essential to Jordan's stability. Increasingly, Israeli security cooperation has quietly extended to vulnerable U.S. allies in the Gulf, bolstering their ability to manage threats from Iran and Islamist terror groups. After spending trillions fighting unsuccessful Middle Eastern wars, increasing aid to Israel - even doubling it - to enable it to counter serious threats to U.S. interests in a still-critical region is a downright bargain. John Hannah, a former national security advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney, is a senior fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). Michael Makovsky, a former Pentagon official, is president and CEO of JINSA.