A Study Of Jimmy Carter Administration’s Israel Foreign Policy(1977-1981)

Jimmy Carter was the 39 th president of the United States.During his time in office,Carter promoted "human rights diplomacy," so he focused on the issues of blacks,Jews and Palestinians.Mr.Carter sympathized with the Jewish suffering in World War II,visited Israel as governor,and was sympathetic to Israel for religious reasons.Carter has repeatedly and publicly stated the U.S.security commitment to Israel and the special relationship between the United States and Israel,designed to enable Israel to serve U.S.policy.The Middle East is one of the most complicated regions in the world.Regional wars,ethnic conflicts,religious contradictions and so on often occur,especially because of the intervention of the two superpowers of the United States and Soviet Union,the situation is more complicated.As the only Jewish state in the Middle East,Israel is an important country in the region and a major player in the Arab-Israeli conflict.After the Third Middle East War,Israel won a great victory,but it also caused contradictions and problems with Arab countries.The American government played an important role in the Middle East War.However,the American government did not solve the problems brought by the third Middle East War,but intensified the contradictions and triggered the fourth Middle East War.After the Fourth Middle East War,the United States changed its policy of favoring Israel in the past and facilitated Israel to sign disengagement agreements with Egypt and Syria,but the process of achieving peace in the Middle East is still a long one.President Carter proposed a "comprehensive solution" to the Middle East issue with the aim of achieving peace in the region.On Israel’s foreign policy,Carter wanted to resolve the differences between Israel and neighboring Arab countries.In Israel,the rise of the Likud party had an impact on the Carter administration’s Israeli foreign policy.The Begin government showed flexibility and supported the Carter administration’s policies.However,Begin’s strong stance on some important issues and the Arab boycott of the Middle East peace conference caused the Geneva Peace Conference to fail.The Carter administration instead facilitated negotiations between Israel and Egypt,which led to the successful Camp David talks and the signing of the Camp David Accords.Since then,under the further promotion of the United States,Israel and Egypt signed the Egyptian-Israel Peace Treaty,which realized the reconciliation between Israel and Egypt.The Carter administration,however,failed to resolve the Palestinian issue and,in the wake of the Iranian hostage crisis,did not do enough to advance negotiations between Israel and Egypt on autonomy.The Carter administration gave more aid to Israel than any previous administration,increasing it to make enough concessions to negotiate aggressively.Through American aid,Israel has recovered and developed its economy,and Israel has acquired advanced weaponry and a dominant position in the Middle East.The Carter administration’s Israeli foreign policy was constrained by multiple factors.As a policy maker,President Carter’s foreign policy toward Israel reflects the concept of "human rights diplomacy." This has played a positive role in promoting Israel’s engagement with Arab countries,but President Carter has also been criticized for hesitating on issues related to Israel.American Jews have become an important group in the United States,able to influence economic,political,and public opinion.The Carter administration was subjected to strong pressure on the Palestinian issue and the Middle East arms sale program,and had a negative impact on the political image of the Carter administration.In addition,political changes in some Middle Eastern countries have had a certain impact.Saudi Arabia used oil to pressure the Carter administration,the Islamic revolution in Iran made the Carter administration realize the importance of resolving the Israeli-Egyptian problem,and the situation in Lebanon also strained U.S.-Israeli relations for a time.During the Carter period,while limiting the influence of the Soviet Union in the Middle East,the United States also tried to cooperate with the Soviet Union to solve the Arab-Israeli problem,but was forced to give up after bearing strong public pressure.These factors together influenced the Carter administration’s Israeli foreign policy,and President Carter needed to tread carefully in his policy.The Carter administration’s Israeli foreign policy has brought varying degrees of impact on Israel,the United States and the Middle East region.Israel has actually reaped significant benefits,making peace with Egypt,retaining the West Bank-Gaza Strip,receiving massive US aid,and strengthening itself.At the same time,in the Israeli Begin government,the moderate members chose to resign in dissatisfaction with Begin’s approach,and the radical members dominated.The Israeli government has become more right-wing,so Begin’s government will become more radical,and the Middle East will face new turmoil.The consolidation of U.S.-Israeli relations during the Carter years,and the deepening of Israel’s economic and political dependence on the United States,is a problem that the Israeli government cannot ignore.Arab states were unhappy with the Carter administration’s Israeli foreign policy and broke with Egypt,while other Arab states took a more tortuous path to reconciliation with Israel.Nevertheless,the Carter administration has some redeeming qualities in its foreign policy toward Israel,and offers lessons for future American administrations.