Israel is increasingly split over its alliance with the U.S., with Washington’s decision to allow for the passage of a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza emboldening populist voices that demand Israel wrest more independence from American influence.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back hard against the Biden administration’s decision to abstain from the resolution and break with an American tradition of vetoing measures Israel dislikes. In response, the Israeli leader shelved plans to send an Israeli delegation to Washington for talks on a planned ground operation in Rafah, one of Gaza’s southernmost cities.
Some of the premier’s right-wing allies went further, questioning whether Israel has come to rely too much on its American ally and shouldn’t chart a more independent path.
“Israel has become overly dependent on American arms in particular,” said Caroline Glick, an Israeli opinion columnist and former adviser to Netanyahu. “The nature of our relationship has to change from that of a client state and a sponsor to a partnership. I think it’s better for both sides.”
For decades, most Israelis have never questioned the country’s alliance with Washington. Israel depends on the U.S. on numerous fronts, from billions of dollars in military aid packages to coordination on countering Iran to cyber cooperation. In the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, the U.S. sent warships to the region, along with troops and military assets, in moves widely seen as deterring Lebanon-based militia Hezbollah and its ally Iran from entering the conflict and sparking a wider war.
Israel’s security establishment, as well as its center and left wing, see U.S. support for Israel as a bedrock of the country’s future.
“The special relationship between Israel and the United States is an anchor in Israel’s security and foreign relations, and direct dialogue with the American administration is an essential asset that must not be given up on even when there are challenges and disputes,” war cabinet member Benny Gantz said Monday.
