Is Washington rethinking its relationship with Israel?

The midterms exposed a growing challenge to decades of US military and diplomatic support for Israel, with potentially lasting consequences for the alliance. Strategically, however, one of his most damaging legacies, particularly for the security and wellbeing of the Jewish state, will be the rapid deterioration of its relations with its closest and most consequential ally, the United States.

This is not simply a falling-out with America’s political elite; relations with the American public have also suffered. Worse still, replacing Netanyahu may not be enough to halt the erosion of relations between the two countries, with potentially serious consequences for Israel’s security, economy and international standing.

A change of government might, at best, salvage some of what has been lost. It may have been a last-ditch attempt to avert a landslide Congressional victory for the Democrats, but the decision to gradually phase out the aid had reportedly been agreed some time earlier.