The U.S.-Israel relationship is based on the twin pillars of shared values and shared interests. Given this commonality of interests and beliefs, it should not be surprising that support for Israel is one of the most pronounced and consistent foreign policy values of the American people.

Americans have long viewed Israelis with admiration, likely because they see American heritage in Israel's pioneering spirit and struggle for independence. Like the United States, Israel is a nation of immigrants that has produced a multicultural society with citizens who hail from more than 100 nations. Approximately four in ten Israelis are Eastern or Oriental Jews who trace their origins to the ancient Jewish communities of the Islamic countries of North Africa and the Middle East.

Israel has also common, deep commitment to democracy. All citizens of Israel - regardless of race, religion or sex - are guaranteed equality before the law and full democratic rights. Freedom of speech, assembly and press is embodied in the country's laws and traditions. Israel's independent judiciary vigorously upholds these rights. The political system in Israel is based on free elections with divergent parties. And though Israel does not have a formal constitution, it has adopted Basic Laws that establish similar legal guarantees.

Israel also share America's passion for education. Israelis are among the most highly educated people in the world. No fewer than twenty-nine daily newspapers are published in ten languages. More books are published per capita in Israel than anywhere else.

These shared interests form the pillar of the continued U.S.-Israel relationship. Since the 1980s, Shared Value Initiatives between Israel and the United States have covered a broad range of areas - the environment, energy, space, occupational safety and health, among many other fields. Hundreds of American institutions in nearly every state have received funds from binational programs with Israel and other relationships, like the Free Trade Agreement, the Cooperative Development Research Program, the Middle East Regional Cooperation Program and various memoranda of understanding, demonstrate the depth of the special relationship.

Learn more about U.S.-Israel cooperation in the following fields:

Agriculture | Aviation | Energy | Environmental Protection
Forestry & Geology | Health & Medicine | Homeland Security
Water Resource Development | Intelligence

Sources: Partners for Change

U.S.-Israel Relations: Shared-Value Initiatives