Woodrow Wilson, in endorising the Balfour Declaration on March 3, 1919 said: "The allied nations with the fullest concurrence of our government and people are agreed that in Palestine shall be laid the foundations of a Jewish Commonwealth."

Pre-1947

American support for the age-old aspirations of the Jewish people to return to their homeland dates back to the Founding Fathers. John Adams wrote: "I really wish the Jews again in Judea an independent nation for, as I believe, the most enlightened men of it have participated in the amelioration of the philosophy of the age."

John Quincy Adams wrote that he believed in the "rebuilding of Judea as an independent nation."

Not long after the Emancipation Proclamation, President Abraham Lincoln met a Canadian Zionist, who expressed hope that Jews who were suffering oppression in Russia and Turkey be emancipated "by restoring them to their national home in Palestine." Lincoln said this was "a noble dream and one shared by many Americans.

1947: The State of Israel is Created

According to some, the Truman Administration did not vigorously push for the United Nations resolution to divide the region of Palestine into two regions, one Arab, one Jewish.

When Israel officially declared its independence 6 months later, the U.S. was the first to grant de facto recognition -- only 11 minutes after the declaration. "I had faith in Israel before it was established, I have faith in it now," Truman said.

1947-1962: The Arms Embargo

Until 1962, the U.S. maintained an arms embargo against Israel. This decision was based on five arguments: 1) the country was strong enough to defend itself without U.S. arms; this belief was reinforced by Israel's success during the Suez campaign; 2) Israel had access to arms from other sources; 3) the United States did not want to appear to be starting an arms race in the Middle East; 4) the U.S. sales of arms to Israel would lead the Arabs to ask the Russians and Chinese for arms; 5) the U.S. did not want to risk a Middle East confrontation with the Soviet Union; and 6) U.S. military aid to Israel would alienate the Arabs.

1962: Israel Given a Qualitative Edge

In 1962, President Kennedy sold HAWK anti-aircraft missles to Israel, marking the official end to the arms embargo (some American weapons had proportedly made it to Israel beforehand). But at the same time, the U.S. was selling weapons to the Arab states as well. According to LBJ's Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Peter Solbert, "In no case, however, will the U.S. contribute to providing one state in the area a military advantage against another."

During the Six Day War of 1967, LBJ reinstituted the arms embargo to the Middle East. In 1968, under pressure from Congress, Israel, and the American public, Johnson agreed to sell Phantom aircrafts to Israel, marking the first time the U.S. was giving Israel a qualitative military advantage over Arab states.

1970's: U.S. Brokers Peace

President Jimmy Carter stepped in to help broker an historic peace agreement between Egypt and Israel in 1978.

To read the text of the Camp David Accords, click here.

Reagan Years: "A Strategic Ally"

Ronald Reagan was the first President to see Israel as a valuable ally in the Cold War. Reagan once wrote: "Only by full appreciation of the critical role the State of Israel plays in our strategic calculus can we build the foundation for thwarting Moscow's designs on territories and resources vital to our security and our national well-being."

The Israelis wisely played up their capability to deter the Soviet Union, while the Arab states refused to join the "strategic consensus" that Alexander Haig tried to create to oppose Soviet expansionism in the region. Within five years, Congress had designated Israel as a major non-NATO ally and the U.S. and Israelis were holding joint military exercises.

Reagan also pushed forward President Carter's work on creating peace between Israel and Palestinians -- somewhat to the dismay of Israel. Click here to view the Reagan Plan on 1982.

Failed Attempts at Peace

President Clinton appeared close to brokering a major peace deal between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat during a meeting at Camp David during the summer of 2000. But those negotiations broke down, and violence has once again escalated in the region.

President George W. Bush has said that the U.S. envisions a Palestinian state as part of a permanent settlement to the Palestinian conflict. The Administration has pressured Israel to tone down the violence in recent weeks.