President Donald Trump made an announcement declaring that military assistance to Israel would stop.
The announcement arrived as voters cast ballots in U.S. midterm elections that resulted in Democrats securing majorities in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The shifting balance in Washington, combined with an election deadlock in Israel, has exposed deep political friction over a decades-old alliance. For decades, Israel enjoyed a position in Washington featuring support from both major political parties alongside billions of dollars in military assistance.
This campaign season has been deeply painful for the American Jewish community. We have been told we don’t belong in political spaces. When we’ve spoken out against candidates trafficking in antisemitism, we’ve been brushed aside. We have been told that if we embrace any…
Democratic Sweep Reshapes the Legislative Landscape
The Democratic sweep reshapes the legislative landscape. Vice President JD Vance pointed directly to the war on Iran and the relationship with Israel as a factor in Republican electoral losses.
Public sentiment in the U.S. has shifted significantly. According to Quinnipiac University polling, 48 percent of registered American voters now believe the U.S. is too supportive of Israel, compared with just 16 percent in January 2017. American support for Israel has also changed dramatically since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.
Political Fallout Inside Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces intense criticism from domestic opponents who blame his alignment with Washington for the mounting diplomatic and financial pressure. Lieberman wrote on social media that the price of Trump’s support for Netanyahu was $3.8bn dollars a year.
Opposition figures argue that Netanyahu has poisoned relations with the U.S. Democratic Party. Critics note that Netanyahu abandoned the traditional care taken by Israel to maintain bipartisanship as a basis of policy in Washington. Observers point out that the Netanyahu government is associated with pain points in the bilateral relationship, and that anyone supporting Israel regardless of leadership risks being linked to controversial military actions.
One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was "composition"—whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. And despite polls that showed a Democrat blowout, the data kept on telling us the same story: in some states turnout was…
Pro-Israel Lobby Group Stops Candidate Endorsements and Contributions
While traditional pro-Israel groups had heavily influenced past races, a pro-Israel lobby group in America announced that it was stopping endorsing candidates or making direct contributions to their campaigns. Meanwhile, the roster of victorious Democratic candidates in congressional districts included figures advocating for Palestinian rights, opposing corporate or pro-Israel funding, and questioning open-ended military commitments.
Despite Trump’s election-day statements regarding aid termination, analysts note that existing agreements and funding mechanisms remain complex. Washington has consistently found ways to finance Israel’s wars beyond declared annual assistance, such as emergency legislation signed by President Joe Biden in April 2024 providing an additional $8.7 billion in direct military assistance.
The Democratic Party, which was severely damaged by Netanyahu, requires Israel to significantly change its policies, particularly regarding Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, not merely change its leader.
Political analysts emphasize that the era of automatic bipartisan support for Israel has ended, and going forward, U.S. policy toward Israel will be much more contentious domestically as lawmakers grapple with questions of cost, international standing, and accountability.
.@NBCNews national exit poll Jewish voters 67% backed Dems in House contests 32% backed Republicans
