Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
For decades, the U.S.–Israel relationship was treated as a given. It wasn’t. It developed cautiously, shaped by Cold War calculations, regional instability, and a gradual alignment of interests. Early distance gave way to cooperation forged through war, diplomacy, and shared security concerns.
This is not a story of blind loyalty or simple affection, but of decisions made under pressure—and of a partnership that raises a persistent question: not just why America once chose Israel, but why it still does.
0:00 - Intro
0:54 - US & Israel’s independence
2:15 - USSR in the Middle East
4:00 - Early Israeli military aid
5:12 - Cold War tensions
8:36 - Yom Kippur War
9:47 - US-Israel alliance begins
11:30 - 9/11 & intelligence
13:30 - Questioning the relationship
15:28 - Americans today on Israel
18:05 - Israel as its own country
Sources
Michael Oren, Six Days of War (2003)
Abraham Rabinovich, The Yom Kippur War (2005)
William B. Quandt, Peace Process (3rd ed., 2005)
Center for Israel Education, “Egypt Announces Czech Arms Deal”
Jewish Virtual Library, U.S.–Israel Foreign Aid Overview
Encyclopedia Britannica, “Arab Oil Embargo”
U.S. Office of the Historian, “Oil Embargo, 1973–74”
Yale University, Energy History Online, Oil Shocks of the 1970s
Pew Research Center, U.S. public opinion on Israel–Hamas war
Harvard Gazette, modern intelligence & cyber warfare
Subscribe and turn on your notifications so you don’t miss future uploads!
youtube.com/UNPACKED?sub_confirmation=1
Recommended video—U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel Explained - youtube.com/watch?v=tH-RszNoRJA&list=PL-DNOnmKkUabACAXOv7N5VVSTxDGTELaV&index=8
We have merch! – http://shop.Unpacked.media/?utm_medium=youtube&utm_source=video-description&utm_campaign=merch
Let’s connect:
Website — https://www.Unpacked.media
Instagram — /unpackedmedia
Twitter — /unpackedmedia
TikTok — /unpackedmedia
Facebook — /unpackedmedia
-----------
Image and footage credits:
Wikipedia
Wikipedia Commons
Associated Press
New York Post
Reuters
MIL310
חי פה חדשות חיפה
Sky News
Haaretz
Golda - Amazon
משרד הביטחון
GPO
Senator Bernie Sanders
Representative Pramila Jayapal
Tucker Carlson
John Stewart
Real Time with Bill Maher
HBO
Senator Chris Murphy
Exodus 1960
Operation Finale
American Assassin
The Spy
Wall Street Journal
Rafael
War Info
Israel Defense Forces
ABC News
C-SPAN
Voice of America
Channel 4 News
TRT World
Times Now
CNN
Valutainment
חדשות 13
Alex R. Wagner
Ethan Miller Rants
Candace Owens
NBC News
Israel National News - Arutz Sheva
Fox News
Dave Smith
Piers Morgan Uncensored
ABC News Australia
Al Jazeera English
Tombstone
Mobileye
All Israel News
Firstpost
AFP News Agency
Tehran
Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
British Pathe
כאן | חדשות - תאגיד השידור הישראלי
Isreal: A Nation is Born
HarrySTrumanLibrary
AP Archive
Military News
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation
Qnews
EichmannTrialEN
60 Minutes Australia
World at War
Ghost Watching
BBC News
PBS NewsHour
History Channel
Guardian News
-----------
Executive Producers:
Michael Steinhardt
Co-Executive Producers:
Marc Shmuel Levine
Iris & Shalom Maidenbaum
Gold Level:
The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life
-----------
Translation credits:
Portuguese: Saymon Pires
About Explainers: From ancient Jewish traditions to the modern State of Israel, we explain it all. Diving into anything and everything related to Jewish culture, history, and even religion.
Understand Jewish holidays, Israeli politics, Jewish diasporic communities, and more. Learn about Judaism in pop culture, debunking myths about Jews, and explore obscure Israeli landmarks. We’re asking questions as basic as “What is the Talmud?”, and as obscure as “How did hip-hop boost Kosher wine sales?”, and everything in between.
About Unpacked: We provide nuanced insights by unpacking all things Jewish. People are complex and complicated — yet we’re constantly being pushed to oversimplify our world. At Unpacked we know that being complex makes us more interesting. Because of this, we break the world down with nuance and insight to drive your curiosity and challenge your thinking.
#israel #usa #politics
For decades, the U.S.–Israel relationship was treated as a given. It wasn’t. It developed cautiously, shaped by Cold War calculations, regional instability, and a gradual alignment of interests. Early distance gave way to cooperation forged through war, diplomacy, and shared security concerns.
This is not a story of blind loyalty or simple affection, but of decisions made under pressure—and of a partnership that raises a persistent question: not just why America once chose Israel, but why it still does.
0:00 - Intro
0:54 - US & Israel’s independence
2:15 - USSR in the Middle East
4:00 - Early Israeli military aid
5:12 - Cold War tensions
8:36 - Yom Kippur War
9:47 - US-Israel alliance begins
11:30 - 9/11 & intelligence
13:30 - Questioning the relationship
15:28 - Americans today on Israel
18:05 - Israel as its own country
Sources
Michael Oren, Six Days of War (2003)
Abraham Rabinovich, The Yom Kippur War (2005)
William B. Quandt, Peace Process (3rd ed., 2005)
Center for Israel Education, “Egypt Announces Czech Arms Deal”
Jewish Virtual Library, U.S.–Israel Foreign Aid Overview
Encyclopedia Britannica, “Arab Oil Embargo”
U.S. Office of the Historian, “Oil Embargo, 1973–74”
Yale University, Energy History Online, Oil Shocks of the 1970s
Pew Research Center, U.S. public opinion on Israel–Hamas war
Harvard Gazette, modern intelligence & cyber warfare
Subscribe and turn on your notifications so you don’t miss future uploads!
youtube.com/UNPACKED?sub_confirmation=1
Recommended video—U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel Explained - youtube.com/watch?v=tH-RszNoRJA&list=PL-DNOnmKkUabACAXOv7N5VVSTxDGTELaV&index=8
We have merch! – http://shop.Unpacked.media/?utm_medium=youtube&utm_source=video-description&utm_campaign=merch
Let’s connect:
Website — https://www.Unpacked.media
Instagram — /unpackedmedia
Twitter — /unpackedmedia
TikTok — /unpackedmedia
Facebook — /unpackedmedia
-----------
Image and footage credits:
Wikipedia
Wikipedia Commons
Associated Press
New York Post
Reuters
MIL310
חי פה חדשות חיפה
Sky News
Haaretz
Golda - Amazon
משרד הביטחון
GPO
Senator Bernie Sanders
Representative Pramila Jayapal
Tucker Carlson
John Stewart
Real Time with Bill Maher
HBO
Senator Chris Murphy
Exodus 1960
Operation Finale
American Assassin
The Spy
Wall Street Journal
Rafael
War Info
Israel Defense Forces
ABC News
C-SPAN
Voice of America
Channel 4 News
TRT World
Times Now
CNN
Valutainment
חדשות 13
Alex R. Wagner
Ethan Miller Rants
Candace Owens
NBC News
Israel National News - Arutz Sheva
Fox News
Dave Smith
Piers Morgan Uncensored
ABC News Australia
Al Jazeera English
Tombstone
Mobileye
All Israel News
Firstpost
AFP News Agency
Tehran
Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
British Pathe
כאן | חדשות - תאגיד השידור הישראלי
Isreal: A Nation is Born
HarrySTrumanLibrary
AP Archive
Military News
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation
Qnews
EichmannTrialEN
60 Minutes Australia
World at War
Ghost Watching
BBC News
PBS NewsHour
History Channel
Guardian News
-----------
Executive Producers:
Michael Steinhardt
Co-Executive Producers:
Marc Shmuel Levine
Iris & Shalom Maidenbaum
Gold Level:
The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life
-----------
Translation credits:
Portuguese: Saymon Pires
About Explainers: From ancient Jewish traditions to the modern State of Israel, we explain it all. Diving into anything and everything related to Jewish culture, history, and even religion.
Understand Jewish holidays, Israeli politics, Jewish diasporic communities, and more. Learn about Judaism in pop culture, debunking myths about Jews, and explore obscure Israeli landmarks. We’re asking questions as basic as “What is the Talmud?”, and as obscure as “How did hip-hop boost Kosher wine sales?”, and everything in between.
About Unpacked: We provide nuanced insights by unpacking all things Jewish. People are complex and complicated — yet we’re constantly being pushed to oversimplify our world. At Unpacked we know that being complex makes us more interesting. Because of this, we break the world down with nuance and insight to drive your curiosity and challenge your thinking.
#israel #usa #politics
