Analysts who spoke to Min Washington acknowledged a breakdown in US-Israeli relations over the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, but ruled out unconditional US support for Israel.
Although it enjoys strong bipartisan support, some political leaders in the United States no longer have Israel's image as they began to issue statements against it after their confidence in what they call "the only democracy in the Middle East" was shaken.
The judicial amendments proposed by the Netanyahu government and the passage of them by the Israeli Knesset caused a shake of trust between Washington and Tel Aviv, as the move was seen as a kind of open challenge to the United States, which put President Joe Biden and the White House in an awkward position.
In this context, writer Thomas Friedman sent a frank message to President Biden published by the New York Times, in which he said: "Mr. President, Netanyahu is moving forward with his plan despite your urging that he not do so." , warning that the Knesset's passage of judicial amendments could cause an explosion in U.S.-Israeli relations, and wrote that if this relationship disintegrates, it will not return forever.
Commenting on US-Israeli relations, Massoud Maalouf, a diplomat and former Lebanese ambassador to several countries, said that the matter is different this time in light of the request of some former US ambassadors to Israel to stop US military aid to Tel Aviv, but he explained that this step aims to pressure the Netanyahu government to change its policy, because they believe that this policy is harmful to Israel.
In Maalouf's opinion, speaking to the episode (2023/7/27) of the program "Min Washington", the change that some Americans have towards Israel is caused by the new generations who are familiar with modern technology, and therefore aware of what Israel is doing against the Palestinians.
The diplomat and former Lebanese ambassador concluded that the relationship between Washington and Tel Aviv, albeit shaken and changed, will remain as long as the United States wants a very strong alliance relationship with Israel, saying that it separates the relations between Washington and Tel Aviv and the relations of the leaders of the two countries.
Democrats worried
The former presidential envoy to the Middle East, Richard Goodstein, said that the Republican Party supports Israel, whether it is right or wrong, and gives it everything it wants, while the Democratic Party "respects the fact that Israel is a democratic country," which is the basis of the United States' support for it for many years, noting that what worries Democrats is that President Biden has a history with Israelis dating back to 1973 when he met Golda Meir, the same one who said that Americans and Israelis are One family.
Washington Post columnist Henry Oslen acknowledged the tension in relations between Washington and Tel Aviv, highlighting that the bipartisan divide exists, with Republicans unconditionally supporting Netanyahu's government, while many Democrats support the Palestinian view and aspire to a better Israeli government.
Oslen predicted that tensions in relations between Washington and Tel Aviv would increase in the coming years, especially if Democrats remain in the White House.