The United States' partnership with Israel is not charity, but strategy, IDF Col. (res.), CEO of KANAF Strategy, former MK and Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee member Yonatan Chetboun told The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference in New York earlier this week.
Chetboun, a decorated soldier who served 187 days of reserve duty this year as part of the war in Gaza, said in a speech given at the conference that "an Air Force commander told me last week: 'If a year ago, you would have told me we could fly dozens of planes for 2,000 kms. and hit precise targets, I would have said that you are dreaming.'"
Citing the commander, Chetboun added: "He told me, today only two countries on Earth can do this: Israel and the United States. America's partnership with Israel is not charity, it is strategy."
In his speech, Chetboun stressed that Israel is no longer just a military power, but a "regional superpower."
"We are on the brink of a third world war," he added. "The battlelines are drawn. in 1944, Jews in Hungary were living normal lives, they had no idea they were in a world war. It is easy to see history when you read it in a book. It is much harder when you are living it."
As the CEO of KANAF international Business Development, Chetboun mentioned the escalating threats to global maritime routes — and why 2026 will be a defining year for companies developing critical infrastructure technologies.
With its strategic location and the momentum created by the Abraham Accords, Israel is uniquely positioned to become a vital bridge between East and West — enabling greater investment, innovation, and international collaboration.
October 7 generation: Shaken by horror, but ready to fight
Chetboun recounted his experiences as a reservist fighting in the Second Lebanon War side-by-side with his late friend and commander, Maj. Roi Klein.
"July 26, 2006 is a day I will remember forever. We were fighting Hezbollah...Roi, in a matter of seconds, jumped on a grenade thrown at his soldier, and screamed the Shma Yisrael prayer.
"With his final breath, he took the radio and announced: Klein is dead. I heard his last words and listened to his call, I ran to him, bullets flying around me, but when I got there it was too late."
Chetboun then revealed that Klein's son, Yoav, was drafted last week to the same Golani unit as his late father. "Yoav is [part] of the generation of October 7 - shaken by horror, but ready to fight. For Israel's survival, stability of the region, and the future of the free world."