From Jerusalem to Baghdad? Israel and the War in Iraq

Abstract

The prevailing opinion that the Bush administration took the United States to war against Iraq in March 2003 under false pretenses has led many to believe that Israel’s security was the secret rationale for the war. According to this ‘‘war for Israel’’ thesis, neoconservative policymakers in the Bush administration, the pro-Israel lobby in the United States, and Israel’s government all pushed the United States to go to war with Iraq for the sake of Israel’s security. This article critically assesses this controversial claim and examines Israel’s role in the U.S. decision to invade Iraq. I argued that while neoconservatives were instrumental in promoting the Iraq war, Israel was not their primary concern and that although American Jewish organizations and the Israeli government did largely support the Iraq war, they did not seek it or actively lobby for it.