Is the U.S.-Israel relationship undergoing a fundamental shift? An analyst weighs in

The political foundation of the U.S.-Israel relationship is showing signs of strain, according to Khalid Al-Jaber, executive director of the Middle East Council on Global Affairs in Doha.

Pro-Israel groups continue to wield considerable influence in Congress, elections and policymaking institutions. Their funding networks, political relationships and pressure mechanisms remain strong. But Al-Jaber argues that their challenge has changed. The question is no longer simply whether they can influence American politicians, but whether those politicians can follow lobby pressure while ignoring changing views among their voters.

That tension is producing a widening gap between the calculations of political elites and public opinion, Al-Jaber said. For decades, U.S.-Israel ties relied not only on the strategic interests shared by the two countries, but also on political legitimacy among the American public.

The analysis highlights a relationship that still has powerful institutional support, while facing a less settled public environment. Al-Jaber pointed to the book “Israel’s Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power,” written by investigative journalist Eli Clifton and political science professor Ian Lustick, as part of the discussion of these pressures. The changing balance between established influence in Washington and public sentiment could help determine where the relationship goes next.