I recently attended a memorial service at one of the Jewish Community Centers in the California Bay Area to honor the victims of the harrowing Hamas terrorist attack on cities and villages near Gaza. Jewish community leaders delivered heartfelt speeches, but it was especially significant to see American politicians in attendance, including a state senator and district heads from the wider Bay Area, many of whom are not Jewish.
Alongside the profound feelings of sorrow, anger, and fear was an overwhelming sentiment of solidarity. Whether Jewish, Israeli expats in the Bay Area, or other sympathizers, everyone present felt a powerful message: America stands firmly with Israel in its battle against Hamas terrorism.
This solidarity hasn’t always been evident. For years, disagreements between Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several American presidents strained the U.S.-Israeli alliance.
During President Barack Obama’s term, tensions emerged, particularly as the U.S. entered into discussions on the Iranian nuclear program. The strain intensified in 2015, when House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner invited Netanyahu to address Congress without the customary prior coordination with the Obama administration. This unprecedented move, coupled with Netanyahu’s vocal opposition to the Iran deal, exacerbated diplomatic rifts. The climax of this strained period came in late 2016 when the U.S. abstained from (rather than voting against) a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, eliciting strong responses from both nations.
Under President Donald Trump, U.S.-Israel relations saw a thaw, underscored by several pro-Israel actions. These included recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, endorsing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and altering the U.S. stance on Israeli settlements. But despite these overtures, tensions persisted.
Many American Jews, along with a number of Israelis, still held reservations about Trump due to the support he had received from known racist figures and groups. This juxtaposition of Netanyahu’s enthusiastic support for Trump and the latter’s association with anti-Jewish sentiment deepened the divide between American Jews and the right-wing Netanyahu-led government.
In the face of these complexities, U.S.-Israel relations appeared to be gravitating toward greater stability, particularly following the American-mediated peace agreement between Israel and several Arab states, known as the Abraham Accords.
Despite these overtures, Trump’s decision in May 2018 to exit the Iran nuclear deal and reinstate sanctions garnered intense scrutiny in Israel. This perspective was notably shared among current and former national security experts, including the author of this article, who contended that an imperfect agreement is preferable to having no agreement in place.
Regrettably, U.S.-Israel relations have seen a significant downturn more recently. Concerned about his impending corruption trials, Netanyahu allied himself with Israel’s far-right factions. Alarmingly, many of his ministerial appointees lacked the requisite diplomatic and national security acumen.
Netanyahu’s collaboration with the far-right had dual motives: not only did it seek to profoundly transform the nation’s governance, fulfilling the longstanding aims of the extreme right, but it also offered him a potential shield from legal consequences.
In response, President Biden took a firm position. He declined to invite Netanyahu to the White House following the latter’s election, consistently emphasizing that any alterations to the Israeli political framework should emerge from broad national dialogue and consensus agreements.
Amplified by Netanyahu’s new and traditional media channels, the sustained criticism of Biden by Netanyahu and his ministers has eroded the Israeli public’s perception of the U.S., and of Biden more specifically. Several notable instances underscore this sentiment. Minister of Homeland Security Ben Gvir, who had previously been convicted of inciting racism and supporting a terrorist organization, proclaimed, “Israel isn’t merely another star on the American flag.”
MP Vaturi of the Likud party declared in an interview, “If necessary, we will defend ourselves without the U.S.” In response to one of Biden’s comments against a particular reform, Minister of Culture and Sports Makhlouf Zohar, also from Likud, lamented, “It’s unfortunate that even President Biden has been swayed by the misinformation circulating in Israel against our legitimate legal reforms.” Minister for Social Equality and Diaspora Affairs Amichai Shikli insinuated that Biden was attempting to destabilize Israel by stoking domestic protests.
Some extreme right-wing pundits have even argued that Israel should reassess the foundational principles of the Israeli-American alliance, possibly even shifting its strategic focus towards China.
The dynamics of public sentiment underwent a sudden transformation following the brutal Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. On the one side, this was helped by Biden’s unambiguous declaration of support for Israel, and strong bipartisan backing, has been reinforced by substantial military assistance and naval deployments.
On the other side, there is growing sentiment against Netanyahu, who is now perceived by a majority of Israelis as the key figure responsible for the nation’s ill-preparedness for the attack. Many see Netanyahu as a myopic politician who, in a bid to evade criminal charges, nearly jeopardized the indispensable U.S. diplomatic, military, and economic support.
Finally, Trump’s untimely remarks, not wholly in favor of Israel and attacking Netanyahu, stood in stark contrast to Biden’s unwavering support. They have significantly diminished his popularity in Israel.
In just a few days, the tables have turned: Biden, previously an unpopular president in Israel, has almost become a national hero, whereas Trump, once beloved, has become one of the most detested American figures.
Currently, even with Biden’s appeals to Israel to refrain from a preemptive attack on Hezbollah and to limit collateral damage in Gaza, the America’s unparalleled and unwavering support for Israel has mended what appeared to be an unbridgeable divide between the two countries.
However, some in Israel perceive the American aid as a double-edged sword. They believe this aid primarily serves U.S. interests, suggesting that expanding military aid and the presence of the aircraft carrier send a signal not just to Israel’s immediate enemies, but first and foremost to Iran, Russia and China. Critics argue that this aid may actually constrict Israel’s strategic flexibility. They point out that Israel’s actions against Hamas seem restrained due to U.S. pressures to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza and to abstain from preemptively striking Hezbollah.
Additionally, there’s a concern that Israel’s overreliance on U.S. military support could be perceived as a sign of Israeli vulnerability. This could lead adversaries to infer that Israel might struggle handling simultaneous conflicts on multiple fronts, such as in Gaza and Lebanon.
The evident American support for Israel underscores the deep bonds between the American and Israeli peoples, rooted in mutual values: a steadfast commitment to preserving democracy and launching a resolute fight against terrorism. These profound ties, spanning almost a century, will invariably outshine any politician’s misguided actions.
Shay Hershkovitz is a professor of practice at Virginia Tech’s Center for Environmental Security and author of “The Future of National Intelligence: How Emerging Technologies Reshape Intelligence Communities.”