The blame game: How the US midterm shock is shaping Israel’s race for PM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long sold himself as the leader who will ensure that ties with the United States, the country’s most important ally, remain strong. The endorsement he received in the run-up to Israel’s parliamentary elections last month from US President Donald Trump added to that perception, in the same year as Washington and Tel Aviv jointly went to war against Iran. Then came the US midterm elections, and the disastrous performance of Trump’s Republican Party.

Early analysis of why the Republicans lost so badly has in part focused on that war with Iran, and the United States’s relationship with Israel. Both were highlighted by US Vice President JD Vance. Suddenly, Netanyahu’s argument that he is the US-Israel relationship’s secret sauce looks much weaker.

If anything, it can be argued that Netanyahu, and his policies – resulting in a genocidal war in Gaza, the Iran war, and numerous attacks in the wider region – have made Israel politically toxic in the US. Many Israelis are now worried that the country can no longer rely on unquestioned support from the US.