Over the past few years, the relationship between the United States and Israel has begun to erode. The once solid relationship between the U.S. and Israel has been on shaky ground, which is truly an embarrassment. Part of this is because of the way the relationship between the U.S. and Israel has turned from impartial to a divided partisan issue.

Our bond has become an issue divided by party lines, as opposed to a national one. Between the impending deal with Iran and the Obama administration’s recent accusations of Israeli espionage, the once strong alliance is becoming a thing of the past. If politicians on all sides of the spectrum would just stop their bickering, comprehensive legislation could be drafted and passed to protect our only stable ally in the volatile area that is the Middle East.

The United States was the first nation to officially recognize Israel as a state in 1948. Ever since, the two have had a model relationship — up until now, that is. The U.S. and Israel both benefit from a strong alliance. As Israel invents new technology, such as the Iron Dome, the U.S. helps fund its research. In addition, both countries benefit economically from trading goods. The most important benefit of all is that Israel has a support system — a friend in a sea of enemies.

There is so much hate for Israel in the Middle East, from terrorist groups like Hamas and the Islamic State group, to countries like Iran with potentially fatal nuclear ambitions. It’s crucial that Israel has an ally like the U.S. in case the threats from these groups come to fruition.

Liberal Democrats, like Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), have shown little support to our ally Israel. At one point, Pelosi called Hamas a “humanitarian” movement. Who can sugarcoat an organization that threatens lives in one of our strongest allies a humanitarian effort? Only those with a distorted sense of reality, that’s who.

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu’s congressional address really showed the public how divided our government officials are on the topic of Israel. Many liberal Democrats, including Pelosi, showed hesitation to even attend the speech. Many criticized the prime minister’s rhetoric because of his desire for congress not to go through with the Iran deal that the president wants to see come to fruition. Netanyahu just wants to protect the country that he holds so dear, and many Republicans understand and agree with his patriotism. However, it’s the Democrats that believe Netanyahu is nothing but a war hawk who solely wants boots on the ground to combat this issue.

President Barack Obama recently said that he has a “businesslike relationship” with Netanyahu, and it doesn’t seem like he wants to become BiBi’s BFF any time soon. While I’m not saying that they need to be friends, they should set a good example for other leaders, like members of Congress, to follow. With Obama making remarks insinuating that peace in the Middle East is a lost cause, he is doing the opposite.

The president’s behavior needs to change if he expects the legislative branch to cooperate when it comes to drafting and agreeing upon solutions in the Middle East. Although I won’t be casting a ballot for him in 2016, potential presidential candidate and former Gov. Jeb Bush criticized Obama’s handling of his issues with Netanyahu as “schoolyard antics.” Bush has a point.

It’s not about whose move it is next or who the toughest kid on the playground is. This is about how we are going to protect our ally in the face of danger. I hope that Congress, our president and Netanyahu work together to not only maintain our relationship with Israel, but to make it stronger than ever.

Vanessa Salman is a sophomore policy studies major. Her column appears weekly. She can be contacted at vksalman@syr.edu and followed on Twitter at @VanessaSalman.

Published on March 31, 2015 at 11:54 pm