Amid accusations that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s actions have led to an unprecedented deterioration in relations between Israel and the United States, IDF Chief of Intelligence Major-General Hertzi Levy recently returned from an official visit to the USA. This many insist is proof that despite statements to the contrary in the media, there is ongoing high-level intelligence community cooperation between Israel and the United States.

Levy, who was recently appointed as chief of intelligence, returned from his first official visit to the US on the eve of the elections for 20th Knesset. Levy met with American intelligence chiefs, as well as the head of the US National Security Agency. The assessment is that intelligence cooperation between the countries remains as it was in the past despite strained diplomatic relations between the White House and the Prime Minister’s Residence.

This reality serves to allay the fears of many officials despite comments released by US President Barak Obama that signal a different reality. Some explain that American interests in the region rely heavily on Israeli intelligence so even if decision makers would like to withhold information from Israel, the information is too valuable and too significant to the Pentagon and others to do without so bilateral cooperation is essential.

Nevertheless, the Obama administration may however reduce its cooperation with Israel is other areas as has recently been mentioned, such as refraining from standing by Israel’s sides when Jerusalem faces condemnation in the United Nations or when the US intervened to prevent EU sanctions against Israel.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)