One thing is clear from US President Donald Trump’s new National Security Strategy. Washington wants the Middle East to be quieter, with fewer wars, so that it can focus on its own problems and on the competition between great powers elsewhere.
That change is not a luxury for Israel; it is a test of its very existence.
Israel needs more support from its allies and friends around the world right now, when there is talk of “less war.” The Jerusalem Post senior analyst Seth J. Frantzman says the “US wants Israel to stay safe, but it also wants Israel to be able to make its own decisions.”
New strategy downplays security issues
Frantzman also says that the new strategy explains there is “less to this problem than headlines might lead one to believe,” when it comes to fighting in the Middle East. After Israeli operations since October 7 and Trump’s Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran is said to be very weak. There is a ceasefire in Gaza, and hostages have been returned, so the war is over.
The document looks forward to a region that will “increasingly become a source and destination of international investment,” with a focus on nuclear energy, AI, and defense technologies, as well as a desire to expand the Abraham Accords. This positive framing may fit into a political narrative, but Israelis know that a 33-page document doesn’t make their security story any easier.
The Iranian government still wants to destroy Israel. Hezbollah is still on Israel’s northern border with tens of thousands of rockets aimed at civilian areas. Terrorist groups in Gaza and the West Bank still believe in what they do. The trauma of the massacre on October 7 is still fresh, and so is the duty to stop it from happening again.
That’s why supporting Israel is not a favor from the past, but an investment in the future of the regional order that Washington says it wants.
If Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East and a key driver of the region’s economy and technology, is left vulnerable or forced to take dangerous risks with its security, a Middle East of “partnership, friendship, and investment” is not possible. The basics are where support starts.
In addition, Israeli leaders should pay attention to what Frantzman says about the “Trump Doctrine.” It makes it sound like the White House has already “done a lot for Israel” and now wants to change the story of the region from air raid sirens to economic corridors and summit photos. When politicians in Jerusalem talk about disarming Hezbollah or going back into densely populated areas of Gaza, they should know that Washington is not as excited about these things as it used to be.
That doesn’t mean Israel should hire someone else to protect it. It means it needs to be strategic, disciplined, and clear about what it wants and how it will get it. Now is the time for allies, Jewish communities, and evangelical supporters around the world to double down instead of tuning out.
If the US is moving from emergency management to a long-term framework, then Israel needs partners who will help rebuild the damaged communities in the South and North, boost its economy, and make the region more stable.
Every new factory in the Negev, every joint venture with Gulf partners, and every campus program that fights antisemitism and delegitimization are part of the same security system that missile batteries and deterrence provide. Frantzman says, “Clearly, the White House will not welcome more wars between Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, or Iran.”
If the world doesn’t want more wars in the Middle East, it needs to support the one country that keeps the region from falling back into chaos. If Washington wants the Middle East to be a center of investment and innovation, it needs to make sure the state that supports that vision is safe.
Standing with Israel when rockets fly is not enough to support it today. It means supporting it while politicians work to stop the next war, making it less likely to happen, and understanding that the safety of Israelis is not something to be used as a bargaining chip to make the world a better place.