As we approach the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, followed by the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel, it’s important to reflect on the evolution of the U.S.-Europe-Israel relationship. After all, the future of the Western alliance depends on this triad’s ability to thwart our shared adversaries.
In the global war on terror after 9/11, when nearly 3,000 Americans were killed after terrorists hijacked planes and flew them into the World Trade Centers in New York, the Pentagon outside of Washington, D.C., and a field in Pennsylvania, European countries aligned with the United States to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq. All told, 21 European countries joined the United States to defeat the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. The United States could not have engaged in these wars had it not been aided by its major European allies.
No doubt, a lot was being asked of our European allies. After all, Al-Qaeda hadn’t attacked them, and Saddam wasn’t saber-rattling in their direction. In fact, many Europeans didn’t want to enter the war, and most of them were underprepared militarily to participate much beyond sending troops to the region.
There’s a different Europe in 2024, and its participation in two concurrent wars has forced countries to examine their rightful places in the new world order.
Though the venom of Al-Qaeda and other jihadists was initially directed at the United States, Europeans found themselves fighting a massive wave of terror attacks on their own soil. The recent actions taken by Germany to shut down the Hamburg Islamic Center, France’s decision to deport radical clerics, coupled with the virulent anti-Israel and antisemitic protests in the United Kingdom, are clear indications of the continued risk, and it would be fair to assume Islamist activities are rising once again.
Russia and Iran also had hands in stiffening European resolve. Between 2006 and 2019, Russia assassinated dissidents in several European countries, while more recently, media outlets reported that Western intelligence services uncovered Russian plots to assassinate Western corporate leaders who are supporting Ukraine.
“Iran has carried out about a dozen operations in Europe, killing at least three people and abducting several others,” according to Politico. What’s more, Iran acts through its proxy, Hezbollah, which has been rightfully banned in 12 European countries. In 2020, German intelligence estimated that nearly 1,000 Hezbollah operatives were active in the country, most of whom were likely affiliated with terrorism.
Perhaps the event most responsible for Europe’s threat awareness was Russia’s shocking invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, against which European nations were ill-equipped to respond. For decades, most European Union countries have under-invested in self-defense and military capabilities. Despite the 2014 Defence Investment Pledge, which followed Russia’s annexation of Crimea and called on NATO countries to spend at least 2% of their Gross Domestic Product on defense, few European countries met that goal as of 2022, the year Russia invaded Ukraine.
Fast-forward to Oct. 7, the day that will forever live in infamy for Israelis and Jews worldwide. On that Black Shabbat, 1,200 innocent Israelis were murdered, butchered, raped and tortured, while some 250 were taken hostage into Gaza. On a per capita basis, the number of Israelis killed by Palestinian terrorists at the Nova music festival and the surrounding kibbutzim is equivalent to 39,000 Americans being killed on Sept. 11, and the 250 Israeli hostages who were swept back to Gaza would be equivalent to 8,250 Americans.
In 2002, the world was shocked by Al-Qaeda’s barbaric murder of Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl. Few in the Western world rejoiced. A little more than a week ago, the murders of Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other innocent hostages by Palestinian terrorists again shocked the world.
This time, however, Western streets were, and still are, alight with mask-wearing, terrorist-flag-waving, smoke-bomb-throwing, anti-Western and anti-Israel fanatics. The streets of the Middle East have made their way to main thoroughfares in the United States and Western Europe.
There is no distinction between the savagery perpetrated by Al-Qaeda or ISIS and that perpetrated by Hamas.
There is a distinction between Sept. 11 and Oct. 7, however, and it is that Europe is more than just a junior partner to the United States; it’s an active partner to America and Israel in the fight against radical Islamism and the axis of authoritarian regimes that feeds this confluence.
Unlike in 2001, China is now a global superpower, and it actively supports its junior partners—Russia, Iran and North Korea—all of which are conspiring to bring the Western alliance to its knees. Moreover, Iran, which reportedly halted its quest for nuclear weapons in 2003 following the U.S. invasion of Iraq, is believed to be on the threshold of a nuclear weapons capability should it choose to break out.
Hamas’s invasion of Israel on Oct. 7 reminded the world that not enough has changed since Sept. 11. Islamists dressed in suits are just as dangerous as those who carry guns, swords or bombs. Living in five-star hotels in Qatar or Ankara does not mean that Hamas is any less savage or anti-Western, despite what the self-deluding politicians, academics or student protesters believe.
In 2024, Europe is dealing with two wars, one representing an existential threat to its eastern front, and one insidiously corrupting its western front. Consequently, much of Europe, including the European Union, has been moving decidedly towards Israel, as the realities of their shared threats and values become clearer.
Of course, the United States remains Israel’s strongest and closest global ally. Yet Europe, led by Germany and other key countries, is now a close second. Defense, security and economic cooperation between Europe and Israel are at historic levels, broadening and deepening every year.
French and British air forces, using Jordanian and Cypriot airstrips, in coordination with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Israel Defense Forces, helped defend Israel from Iran’s massive aerial attack in April. The coalition’s 99% success rate illustrates the role Europe now plays in global security and the efficacy of the U.S.-Europe-Israel triad.
While Europe is not expected to match the United States in military might, European nations are increasingly enhancing their capabilities and are turning to Israel for solutions. For instance, NATO’s European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI), founded by Germany following Russia’s assault on Ukraine, now includes 21 European countries who have agreed to participate in this tiered, interoperable and cross-continental air-defense system.
No surprise, Arrow 3, Israel’s anti-ballistic missile air-defense system plays a large role in ESSI. Each country is required to purchase its own air-defense systems to meet its needs but integrate into ESSI. Finland, for instance, acquired Israel’s David’s Sling, while Germany is installing Israel’s $4.5 billion Arrow 3 system to defend NATO’s eastern flank.
The evolution of the U.S.-Europe-Israel triad is the outcome of recent horrors, from Sept. 11 to Russia’s Ukraine invasion and Oct. 7. These events don’t represent bookends, but rather, inflection points on a continuum that signal an evolving and empowered Western alliance.