Israel alliance central to Trump’s America First strategy, experts

Critics once called it isolationist. But national security experts now say Donald Trump’s “America First” strategy has proven to be something else entirely; a dogged deterrence policy built on strong alliances, especially with Israel.

“The America First approach to U.S. national security means a strong national security policy, a determined president, keeping our nation out of unnecessary wars, alliance members pulling their own weight, but it also means standing strong with Israel and combating antisemitism,” Fred Fleitz, vice president of the Center for American Security at the America First Policy Institute and former chief of staff of the National Security Council, told Fox News Digital. he said.

He said supporting Israel is not about emotions. “It is in our strategic interest to stand with Israel,” he said. “Israel is dealing with enemies in the region that the United States would have to deal with if it weren’t there. So it’s in our strategic interest.”

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Israel as America’s forward defense

Mike Makovsky, CEO of the Jewish Institute of National Security of America (JINSA), said Israel has effectively absorbed threats that would otherwise require US military intervention. “There are three reasons why we have historically had interests in the region,” he said. “One is Israel. The second is oil. The third is Islamic extremism; terrorism, Shiite and Sunni.”

Makovsky said it’s ironic that the “America First” debate has resurfaced “only a few months after Israel smoked America’s enemies in the Middle East.” He highlighted Iran’s nuclear advances and the role of its proxies. “They make ballistic missiles… They can reach the east coast of the United States,” he said. “You combine missiles with nuclear weapons that can hit the United States; there are North Koreans on the West Coast; do you really want Iran to hit the East Coast?”

According to Makovsky, Israel’s campaign against these threats demonstrates the strategic value of the alliance. “What did the Israelis just do? They took care of it. The US finally came with the B-2… but it was Israel that did all this,” he said.

He added that Israel had “nearly finished off Hamas,” weakened Hezbollah, which “has the blood of hundreds of American soldiers on its hands,” and continues to confront the Houthis to “guarantee freedom of navigation.” He argued it was deterrence: “As long as we support Israel, we’re giving them some help, we’re giving them the weapons they need, they’re really doing our job.”

against Iran and its allies

Fleitz called Iran the “biggest threat,” which includes “Iran and Iran’s proxies in the region. This includes Hamas, Hezbollah in Syria, Iran-backed militias in Iraq, and then Iran itself with its nuclear weapons program and sponsorship of terrorism.”

Stating that Israel’s actions “destroyed Hamas proxies and significantly weakened Iran,” he said, “In June, we joined Israel in taking on Iran’s nuclear program, which poses a threat to global security.”

Both analysts framed Iran as part of a broader axis of power alongside Russia and China; Each is using instability in the Middle East to undermine US influence – by fueling proxy wars, driving up energy prices and threatening trade routes between the Gulf and the Red Sea. Fleitz said Trump’s willingness to act decisively “to attack Iran’s nuclear program” was an example of using force to prevent more costly wars later.

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Fire and smoke rise into the sky after Israel’s attack on the Shahran oil depot in Tehran, Iran, on June 15, 2025. Iran’s foreign minister said the country will respond “decisively and proportionately” to the wave of attacks launched by Israel since the early hours of June 13. The attacks targeted numerous military, scientific and residential facilities, as well as senior government officials. (Stringer/Getty Images)

Energy and economic security

Both agree that energy policy is where America First becomes measurable. “Energy independence is a crucial part of President Trump’s America First policy to relieve Americans of high energy bills,” Fleitz said. He also stated that energy diplomacy abroad strengthens economic security at home. “Forcing the Saudis to produce more oil — and I think the Saudis would be happy to help us with that — could actually help us end the war in Ukraine,” he said.

Makovsky made a similar claim for regional stability: “The biggest threat to Gulf Arab oil exporters is Iran,” he said. If Israel didn’t take control of Tehran, “Iran would probably take over the Middle East. And that’s not good if you care about oil prices.”

Both experts said Americans save both dollars and deployments when Israel shoulders the burden of protecting energy corridors and trade routes.

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President Donald Trump poses for a photo with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before boarding Air Force One at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, while Israeli President Isaac Herzog looks on, left. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

Avoiding unnecessary wars

Trump’s doctrine is about selective power, not withdrawal, Fleitz said. “He wants to keep our country out of new and unnecessary wars, but he will use military force prudently to defend our national security,” he said. “He will refrain from sending American troops to certain situations and using military force. But this does not mean that he will not do these things when it is in the strategic interests of the United States.”

He stated that US personnel currently serving in Israel “will not go to Gaza” and “will not participate in combat operations against Hamas.” He said their mission fits the minimum footprint, maximum leverage model.

Credibility and global deterrence

Makovsky warned that abandoning Israel would undermine America’s credibility around the world. He remembered what a senior Arab leader once told him: “If America does not help Israel attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, it will be one of the great disasters.”

“This is because everyone in the Middle East, in Asia, knows that U.S.-Israeli relations are one of the closest relations in the world,” Makovsky said. “If we don’t help Israel, that reduces our credibility. The Chinese, Russians and North Koreans know that if we don’t support Israel, we won’t help other allies… and that would undoubtedly make us more vulnerable to the Chinese.”

Iranian worshipers shout anti-US and anti-Israeli slogans during the anti-Israel rally held to condemn Israel’s attacks on Iran after Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran, on June 20, 2025; One of them bears the portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Photo: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

peace through strength

Fleitz said Trump’s “20-point peace plan” for Gaza exemplifies the America First balance between toughness and diplomacy. “It achieved its two main goals, which were to remove all living hostages from Israel and to put the ceasefire into effect,” he said, while acknowledging that “the ceasefire was quite weak.” The next step, he added, was an “international stabilization force”; A complex process is still under negotiation.

Smoke rises after the explosion in Tehran, Iran, on Friday, June 13, 2025. Israel attacked Iran’s capital early on Friday, causing explosions across Tehran. (Getty)

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The conclusion for both experts is the same: America First does not mean isolation. This means strategic partnerships that will keep U.S. troops out of long wars while preserving American dominance.