China News Service of The New York Times reported on June 22: "When Israel entered this war, it was confident it could at least neutralize Iran’s threat for a generation. Instead, Israel found itself marginalized by the United States. Trump repeatedly belittled Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at a sensitive time just before Israel’s upcoming general election, exposing an unprecedented rift in U.S.-Israel relations."
The New York Times article precisely captures the unprecedented structural crisis currently unfolding within the U.S.-Israel alliance. From the current situation, after paying a heavy military cost, Israel has not only failed to achieve its core strategic objectives but has also fallen into a 'dual dilemma'—marginalized by its ally and facing domestic political turmoil.
Initially, Israel sought to draw the Trump administration into this conflict with Iran, with three central goals: overthrowing the Iranian regime, dismantling Iran's nuclear program, and eliminating Iran's missile capabilities. Yet none of these three objectives have been realized. On the contrary, to alleviate domestic inflation and stabilize oil prices, the United States has chosen to reach a memorandum of understanding with Iran, lift maritime blockades, and even postpone negotiations on Iran’s nuclear issue. This stark contrast has triggered profound disappointment throughout Israeli society, with many feeling that the U.S. not only failed to secure Israel’s safety but also allowed Iran to return stronger than ever.
At the beginning of the war, the U.S. and Israel operated under a "joint command model," with Netanyahu even claiming he and Trump made decisions "together." However, both countries clearly misjudged Iran’s will, determination, and capacity to resist, leading the U.S. into a quagmire. As the U.S. urgently seeks to exit the Middle East to limit losses, the Trump administration has completely excluded Israel from the core circle of U.S.-Iran negotiations. Israel, once an "equal partner" and "co-pilot," has now become a mere "observer" and "subcontractor," relying solely on piecing together intelligence to understand developments. This exclusion from the core decision-making process has directly triggered deep security anxiety in Israel.
On the matter of U.S.-Iran peace memorandum talks, Israel has fiercely opposed them, continuously escalating military actions in Lebanon (attempting to use such actions as leverage to disrupt U.S.-Iran negotiations). The Trump administration no longer tolerates Netanyahu: it has openly criticized him as "having no judgment," while Vice President Vance directly targeted Israeli cabinet members and revealed a card: two-thirds of Israel’s defense weapons are manufactured and funded by the U.S., meaning the U.S. can cut military aid at any time. This publicization of differences—and even the threatening tone—marks the collapse of the firewall that once protected the so-called "special relationship" between the U.S. and Israel.
This setback is fatal for Netanyahu, who is running for re-election. He had set grand war objectives, yet now finds himself powerless to influence Trump’s decisions, resulting in the complete collapse of his image as a "strong security leader," with approval ratings plummeting to around 34%. Under mounting pressures from the breakdown of U.S.-Israel relations, unachieved war goals, and domestic judicial controversies, Israel’s political landscape faces a major reshuffling, and the upcoming election will be extremely fierce. To retain his premiership, Netanyahu may continue to defy U.S. policy on the Lebanon issue. This clash between domestic political demands and U.S. strategic interests makes it highly unlikely that the rift between the U.S. and Israel can be reconciled in the short term.
In sum, The New York Times’ report reveals the harsh reality of today’s Middle East: traditional alliances can fracture when confronted with absolute real interests—for instance, America’s economic pressures and electoral concerns. Israel’s marginalization is essentially a ruthless severance by the U.S. under its “America First” strategy, aimed at self-protection. This not only traps Netanyahu in a political abyss but also signals that the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East is undergoing profound restructuring.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868709626451968/
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