Are US-Israeli Relations Breaking Down?
This edition dives into the unraveling US-Israel relations under current leadership and political turmoil.
I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that relations are breaking down between America and its strongest ally in the Middle East. After all, the convicted felon’s second term has been about shredding American democracy and making all sorts of deals with countries rather than showing, you know, actual leadership.
But first: With the first pick of the 2025 Pope Draft, the Cardinals have made their selection.
Let’s look at the facts—the felon is beholden to Russia. Russia is allied with Iran. And as such, it’s not surprising to hear reports of Israeli Strategic Minister Ron Dermer being berated by the admin during a “secret meeting” this week that wasn’t on the public calendar.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—who has no business holding the position—has cancelled an upcoming trip to Israel. Not surprisingly, recently appointed US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is putting water over the flames in denying the distancing in relations. That doesn’t change the fact that the American government reached a deal with the Houthi terrorists while leaving Israel out to dry.
“The United States isn’t required to get permission from Israel to make some type of arrangement that would get the Houthis from firing on our ships,” Huckabee said in a clip from the full interview, set to air on the Israeli network this weekend.
The fact that the Houthi deal was made without Israel and caught Israel off-guard when it was announced is something that doesn’t bode well for whatever deal is made between America and Iran.
There’s a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia that’s on the table. Former Israeli Ambassador to the US Mike Herzog has accused Bibi of missing an opportunity. Reports suggest that the convicted felon is no longer demanding that the Saudis recognize Israel in an agreement.
Steve Witkoff reportedly leaked criticism of Bibi. Bibi deserves all the criticism in the book, especially after deciding to withdraw from the negotiated ceasefire following Phase 1 of the three-phase plan. Much of this is because he couldn’t afford to lose either Ben Gvir or Smotrich and knew that his coalition would fall apart the minute that they withdrew from the government and brought it down. At this point, since Bibi refuses to take responsibility and resign, we’re left waiting for the next Knesset elections to arrive on October 27, 2026. They can’t come soon enough. Might 2026 see the end of Bibi’s political career? We can only hope.
Of course, there’s the chance that the Haredi draft bill will be what leads to the coalition falling apart.
“Netanyahu knows there is no solution to the Haredi enlistment matter,” a senior minister tells Zman Yisrael, The Times of Israel’s Hebrew-language sister site. “He is bidding for time and will eventually say that ‘on this important matter, I didn’t cave.’ This way, he’ll at least win the election with the support of reservists and civilians who can’t live with the inequality in military conscription.”
For a first term that was described as “remarkable” for American-Israeli relations, this second term is anything but.
Elsewhere across the pond, historian Andrew Roberts chaired the 7 October Parliamentary Commission Report for Britain. Roberts wouldn’t speak for former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill but has an idea of where he would stand.
Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV studied under a pioneer in Jewish—Catholic relations. The past few months have not helped relations between Israel and the Vatican. Here’s to hoping something positive happens under his watch.
Vatican II, or the Second Vatican Council, inaugurated a new era in Jewish-Catholic relations in 1965 when it issued a document, Nostra Aetate, repudiating antisemitism and stating that the Jewish people were not responsible for Jesus’ death. Ties between the two religious communities were blossoming at the time when Leo was studying for the priesthood in the late 1970s and early ‘80s.
But despite that, there are some Republican legislators who reject the document, preferring to blame the Jews.
The fact that the new Pope is a critic of the convicted felon has prompted conservatives to turn to antisemitic tropes. One Jewish conservative even went so far as to display their white nationalist views, despite the fact that white nationalists reject Jews. How this person became such a shonda is beyond me!
Have a good weekend. Shabbat shalom.