The Wall Street Journal article about U.S. President Barack Obama stopping the shipment of missiles to Israel made news headlines in Israel regarding the tension between Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. So let's be honest: The American president and the Israeli prime minister have different worldviews. They also, obviously, think differently, and probably don't share the same ideas about the right way to deal with the Palestinian problem, Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, or even Egypt. If these two stepped behind the curtain of a voting booth, they would not be likely to cast the same ballot. Anyone pointing out the disagreement between Obama and Netanyahu hasn't stumbled on anything new, even if it was published in the Wall Street Journal. But the two leaders also share the same reality, as well as mutual interests and historical alliances and values. The two men lead very friendly nations and are well aware of the strategic importance of the relationship. There is one well-known rule for Washington and Jerusalem: It is all right to disagree, but not to sever ties. So it should not come as a surprise that despite their differences, Obama and Netanyahu are fighting almost alongside one another against global terrorism: one in Iraq, the other in Gaza. One against the Islamic State, the other against Hamas. The big difference between the two is that one serves as head of a global superpower, which gives him plenty of room to maneuver, while the other leads a small country surrounded by enemies that see how in every military entanglement the world seeks to block its movements, even as the threats -- despite promises and delusions -- continue to grow. In the end, Israel will probably get the missile shipment, because for decades the U.S. was, and still remains, its greatest friend. Were there no disagreements in critical times in the administrations of Harry Truman (the founding of the state) and John F. Kennedy (the Dimona reactor)? Didn't the hawkish Ronald Reagan condemn Israel's strike on the Osirak reactor in Iraq in the time of Menachem Begin? Didn't George Bush Sr. (in office when Yitzhak Shamir was prime minister) and George Bush Jr. (Ariel Sharon) have their own disputes with Israeli prime ministers? And didn't former Secretary of State James Baker give us a number to call (not even collect) when we were ready? History is full of unpleasant episodes. It is true that times have changed and we are far from the days when Prime Minister Menachem Begin could summon the American ambassador (Samuel Lewis) and tell him: "Mr. Ambassador, please take note: I take full responsibility for the security of this state and the security of its citizens. You don't play with the fate of a people and there is no issue of public relations here. Please, Mr. Ambassador, tell your superiors that I have to choose between protecting the lives of the citizens of Israel -- men, women, children, and the elderly -- and buckling under threats of sanctions, and I will always choose the first, no matter what." What did the American envoy say to the prime minister's then-media adviser Uri Porat when he left Begin on his way to the car? "I'm envious that you work with a man like that."
