Ball was long a critic of Israeli policies toward its Arab neighbors. He "called for the recalibration of America’s Israel policy in a much noted "Foreign Affairs" essay" during 1977 and, during 1992, co-authored "The Passionate Attachment" with his son, Douglas Ball. The book argued that American aid to Israel has been morally, politically and financially costly. Elsewhere in the book, referring to the Israeli attack on the USS "Liberty", Ball asserted, "... the ultimate lesson of the "Liberty" attack had far more effect on policy in Israel than in America. Israel's leaders concluded that nothing they might do would offend the Americans to the point of reprisal. If America's leaders did not have the courage to punish Israel for the blatant murder of American citizens, it seemed clear that their American friends would let them get away with almost anything."