Turning the 3+1 into a quadrilateral alliance

Six years ago, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) joined forces in support of the efforts of congressmen Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Ted Deutch (D-FL) as they formed the Congressional Hellenic Israel Alliance (CHIA) caucus.

Our reasoning was simple: In an increasingly unstable Eastern Mediterranean, the US needed reliable allies and partners. In 2013, the emerging partnership among Cyprus, Greece and Israel presented Washington with the tantalizing option of working with partners who shared both America's interests and values.

We also believed that the US policymaking structure was not fully set up to capitalize on these positive developments in the Eastern Mediterranean. State Department bureaus and congressional foreign affairs subcommittees were organized with Europe as one jurisdiction and the Middle East/North...