Unlike Israel, many of America’s NATO allies do not behave like true partners
Europe’s moral renunciation in the fight against Iran’s Islamic terrorist regime reveals a surprising truth: at this moment, both Washington and Jerusalem have only one reliable ally-each other.
Israel has always known that its greatest diplomatic and security dependence rests on the United States.
It is the only true ally it can fully count on.
However, now, in the sixth week of confrontation with Iran, it is evident that the same is true for the US.
The country maintains formal alliances with dozens of nations, including the other 31 NATO members.
But when the situation really gets tough, the only truly reliable partner for the Americans is Israel-precisely the country with which there is no formal treaty of alliance.
Critics of President Donald Trump blame his firm and confrontational stance towards European allies, especially the United Kingdom, France, and Spain.
They say Trump initiated an unnecessary and costly “war of choice,” which Europeans are wise to stay out of.
Furthermore, they attribute NATO’s hesitation-or even open opposition-to Trump’s aggressive style, demanding more substantial contributions to its own defense (funded for decades by American taxpayers) and threatening serious consequences if they refuse.
Some even compare American demands, such as the possibility of the US taking control of Greenland from Denmark, to a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In reality, the problem isn’t Trump, but NATO itself.
The alliance was essential in containing Soviet expansion after World War II and maintained deterrence against Russia for four decades, until the collapse of the communist empire.
Since the end of the Cold War, however, NATO has struggled to remain relevant.
Most Western European countries not only have weak armed forces, incapable of meaningfully sharing in the defense of the West, but also demonstrate little real willingness to act as allies.
The only NATO members who truly behave as partners are in Eastern Europe, but they are too small to make a difference in a conflict with Iran.
Every American president in the last 30 years has tried to convince Europeans to invest more in defense, but without practical results.
The soft approach, with only incentives and no pressure, allowed them to save resources, enrich themselves, and at the same time remain dependent on American protection-as became clear when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
?Trump: “A Coreia do Sul não nos ajudou. A Austrália não nos ajudou. O Japão não nos ajudou.
? Vox Liberdade – (@VoxLiberdade) April 6, 2026
Temos 50.000 soldados no Japão e 45.000 na Coreia do Sul para protegê-los de Kim Jong-un, com quem me dou muito bem.” pic.twitter.com/NjrM4TivKi
We have 50,000 troops in Japan and 45,000 in South Korea to protect them from Kim Jong-un, with whom I get along very well.”
The problem goes beyond money.
Western Europeans fear Vladimir Putin’s authoritarianism and his desire to rebuild the old empire, but they don’t show the same interest in containing the Iranian threat-its terrorism, missiles, and nuclear ambitions.
The regime of the ayatollahs in Tehran considers itself at war with the entire West, not just the United States (“Great Satan”) and Israel (“Little Satan”).
Their terrorists and missiles have already proven they can reach European capitals, but the governments of London, Paris, Madrid, and Rome act as if the task of eliminating this danger is someone else’s responsibility.
Instead of confronting Iran, many prefer to appease it in order to continue doing business.
Influenced also by the fear of immigrant Muslim voters and by growing antisemitism in their societies, these leaders position themselves as mere spectators in a conflict they see as the exclusive concern of Israel and the US.
This stance did not originate with Trump.
It stems from decades of reluctance to defend the West against militant Islamism and from an increasingly open hostility towards Israel.
Deep down, many of these European allies, like some of Trump’s internal critics, hope that the US and Israel will fail-simply because it would weaken the American president and the Israeli prime minister.
Thus, while Israel demonstrates itself to be a loyal and capable partner, many NATO members reveal themselves to be allies in name only.
In times of real crisis, the strongest and most reliable relationship remains that between Washington and Jerusalem – without the need for formal treaties.
Published in 04/07/2026 06h30
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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