Behind The Times

Kari Travis | Managing Editor

Analysts are calling it a soap opera.

It might be an accurate description, considering the on again (but mostly off again) relationship that the Obama administration has with the state of Israel.

No. You see, the real buzz in the headlines is Obama's recent announcement that he will make a diplomatic visit to Israel as early as this spring. Okay. Great.

The real question is, why should we care? Only four U.S. presidents have ever visited the state of Israel since its creation.

Yes, that's right. Nixon, Carter, Clinton and George W. Bush make up the exclusive group that Obama is soon to join.

So why is Obama making a trip to the land of milk and honey?

Well, you might say that he's doing it to get himself out of a slightly sticky situation. (Pun intended.)

During the past four years, the Obama administration hasn't exactly endeared itself to the state of Israel. In fact, you might say it's done exactly the opposite. While the administration has focused on its policies toward countries like Egypt, Syria and

Iran, Israel is a country with which it has remained largely uninvolved, according to CNN.

The result is relational dysfunction of the international variety.

While it's understandable that the U.S. would want to repair and maintain relations with countries that pose a great nuclear threat to its security, it certainly is important to remember that Israel remains a democratic ally in the roiling atmosphere of the Middle East, according to Aaron David Miller, vice president at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

And Israel has even more staked on its relationship with the U.S.

In the past, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has scolded and reprimanded the Obama administration for its policies toward nuclear Iran.

This hasn't made for a warm and fuzzy exchange between Obama and Netanyahu. However, the increased threat posed by the Iranian state presents quite a predicament for Israel. Now is the best possible time for Netanyahu to repair relations with Obama in an effort to increase his country's security, according to a policy analysis from Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie.

It's anyone's guess whether President Obama will successfully mend the U.S. relationship with Israel.

But one thing is absolutely certain: The soap opera may be on the air for several more seasons.

And while some view the U.S. relationship with Israel as a values-based issue, both Obama and Netanyahu will be approaching the situation from a distinctly diplomatic angle, according to Miller. Any new form of the relationship will arise out of necessity and mutual security interest. Nothing else. So don't switch channels just yet. More developments are sure to come on this daytime news drama.