--- description: Netanyahu's address to Congress is a reminder that the embrace of Israel is core to decades of flawed U.S. Middle East policy. title: It's Time to Rethink the U.S.-Israel 'Special Relationship' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt80d94b1198695fcc/698a5926e6e84a4e9a2b32f8/us-israel-relationship-oped-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [world affairs](/tag/world-affairs/) ## world affairs Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # It's Time to Rethink the U.S.-Israel 'Special Relationship' Jul 24, 2024 10:00 AM CUT by [Jon Hoffman](/author/jon-hoffman/) ## Jon Hoffman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 24, 2024 10:00 AM CUT As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [faces a joint session of Congress](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/23/world/middleeast/netanyahu-biden-congress.html "undefined"), Washington must finally face reality: its [emphatic embrace](https://time.com/6340511/biden-israel-history/ "undefined") of Israel’s war in Gaza is not advancing U.S. interests or promoting regional stability—to say nothing of the [immense human toll](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker "undefined"). In fact, it is doing the opposite. So long as Washington refuses to change course, the U.S. will continue to confront major problems that are the product of its own policies. Netanyahu remains wedded to the idea that Israel’s army can achieve his goal of eradicating Hamas in Gaza. But as IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari recently [admitted](https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-spokesman-says-hamas-cant-be-eliminated-will-remain-in-gaza-if-no-alternative/ "undefined"), “anyone who thinks we can eliminate Hamas is wrong.” In the military realm, the group maintains operational capacity, and continues to [fight](https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/hamas-strategy-israel-war-0292d40c "undefined") in areas of Gaza where Israel previously claimed Hamas had been eliminated. U.S. intelligence [estimates](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/21/biden-admin-hammering-israel-military-strategy-gaza-00159262 "undefined") that only 30-35% of Hamas’ military wing have been killed since Oct. 7, while claiming it has recruited thousands of new volunteers over the course of the war. Hamas also [remains](https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/palestinian-revival "undefined") deeply embedded in the political fabric of Gaza. Israel can degrade Hamas’ capabilities and kill their leaders, but without a route toward a credible political solution, Palestinian militancy will persist. Unfortunately, there is no sign of such a solution. Netanyahu’s [apparent plan](https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/netanyahu-presents-blueprint-for-postwar-gaza-with-free-rein-for-israeli-military-36b1d53c "undefined") moving forward is the [indefinite military occupation](https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-postwar-gaza-plan-palestine-bf36d1c9?mod=middle-east%5Fnews%5Farticle%5Fpos3 "undefined") of the enclave, and Israel’s parliament recently [passed](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog%5Fentry/knesset-overwhelmingly-passes-motion-rejecting-palestinian-statehood-days-before-pms-us-trip/ "undefined") a motion—with overwhelming support—rejecting Palestinian statehood, even if it is part of a negotiated settlement with Israel. This is a recipe for endless violence. Meanwhile, the carnage Washington is subsidizing in Gaza is seriously damaging America’s global standing. As many feared in the wake of the [Oct. 7 Hamas attack](https://time.com/6321849/israel-attack/ "undefined"), the war has gone well beyond prevention and self-defense, drawing analogies to the U.S. response to 9/11\. Israel’s campaign is also planting the seeds of future turmoil by [killing](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2824%2901169-3/fulltext "undefined") thousands of innocent civilians, [crippling](https://www.axios.com/2024/04/07/gaza-infrastructure-land-damage-israel-six-months-war "undefined") Gaza’s infrastructure, and [producing](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/06/25/israel-gaza-famine-palestinians-aid/ "undefined") a famine. The effects of this war will plague Gaza for generations, and Washington’s involvement, most critically the [provision](https://www.reuters.com/world/us-has-sent-israel-thousands-2000-pound-bombs-since-oct-7-2024-06-28/ "undefined") of the weapons [responsible](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/08/world/middleeast/us-israel-bomb-gbu39-gaza.html "undefined") for much of the killing, [makes a mockery](https://time.com/6330746/global-south-ukraine-israel-gaza/ "undefined") of the U.S.’ claim to lead a “liberal” or “rules-based” international order.  Police arrest protesters as they block traffic during a pro-Palestinian demonstration demanding a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, near the home of Sen. Chuck Schumer in Brooklyn, New York, on April 23, 2024.Andres Kudacki—AP Finally, there is a growing chance of regional escalation and deeper direct U.S. involvement. The war has already set off a wave of regional escalation from Lebanon to [Syria](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/4/why-does-israel-keep-launching-attacks-in-syria "undefined"), Iraq, [Yemen](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/21/everything-to-know-about-israeli-and-houthi-attacks-amid-war-on-gaza "undefined"), and between [Israel and Iran directly](https://time.com/6968928/israel-missile-attack-iran-reports-details/ "undefined"). Israel and Hezbollah are [especially close](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/27/us-intelligence-israel-hezbollah-war-00165338 "undefined") to a devastating war. The U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, C.Q. Brown, recently [warned](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-807449 "undefined") both that Iran would likely provide considerable help to Hezbollah, which has a [huge arsenal of missiles](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/07/10/hezbollah-weapons-israel-war-border-nasrallah/ "undefined") that can penetrate deep into Israel, and that U.S. forces in the region could be pulled into that conflict. Such a war is [anathema](https://nationalinterest.org/feature/israel-hezbollah-war-would-devour-middle-east-211654 "undefined") to U.S. interests and Middle East stability. The risks of regional war—and direct U.S. involvement—will remain elevated as long as Israel’s campaign in Gaza continues. **Read More:** [_The Coming Israel-Hezbollah War_](https://time.com/6990650/coming-israel-hezbollah-war/ "undefined") Short of direct military intervention, the U.S. has cast the full weight of its political, economic, and military might behind Israel. By casting [multiple vetoes](https://research.un.org/en/docs/sc/quick "undefined") at the U.N. Security Council, [approving](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/06/us-weapons-israel-gaza/ "undefined") more than 100 arms transfers worth over $41 billion, [passing](https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/24/politics/biden-signs-foreign-aid-bill/index.html "undefined") roughly $15 billion in additional military aid, and overseeing a [massive](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/24/pentagon-middle-east-buildup-cost-00137577 "undefined") U.S. military buildup in the Middle East, the Biden Administration has placed the U.S. at the center of Israel’s war in Gaza. American foreign policy in the Middle East has been [dysfunctional](https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/01/11/israel-hamas-gaza-war-us-middle-east-policy-saudi-biden/ "undefined") for decades, and the [imbalanced relationship](https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/03/22/israel-gaza-biden-netanyahu-security-united-states/ "undefined") between the U.S. and Israel is at the core of that flawed regional strategy. Washington’s reflexive embrace of Israel has impaired its ability to think clearly about the Middle East—a region of [limited strategic importance](https://www.defensepriorities.org/reports/the-case-for-withdrawing-from-the-middle-east/ "undefined") to the U.S., given America’s energy independence. At a time when the U.S. finds itself overextended abroad and facing serious political and economic troubles at home, Washington is following Israel deeper into the abyss. Is there any sliver of hope? After Biden [dropped out](https://time.com/7001028/why-joe-biden-stepped-down/ "undefined") of the presidential race, [Kamala Harris](https://time.com/7001208/kamala-harris-views-abortion-economy-immigration-israel-gaza/ "undefined") is now the Democratic frontrunner, and has an opportunity to [change course on Israel and Gaza](https://time.com/7001874/kamala-harris-donald-trump-biden-gaza/ "undefined"). Although Harris has [urged](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/03/03/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-commemorating-the-59th-anniversary-of-bloody-sunday-selma-al/ "undefined") Israel to do more to address the “immense scale of suffering” in Gaza, she has remained [steadfast](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/harris-foreign-policy-experience-stands/story?id=112151509 "undefined") in her backing of Israel—much like Biden. Rhetoric devoid of a policy change is not enough. Moreover, a Trump victory would likely offer no respite given his strong support for Tel Aviv and [comments](https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2024-03-17/ty-article/.premium/trump-on-israel-gaza-war-id-tell-netanyahu-to-finish-it-up-and-do-it-quickly/0000018e-4d59-dca4-ad8e-edffe0df0000 "undefined") that he would let Israel “finish the job” in Gaza. Though the future of the White House is uncertain, it should be abundantly clear to all that by continuing to subsidize Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. is setting up itself—and the Middle East—for disaster. Washington needs to end its bipartisan, blank-check support for Israel and extricate itself from this tragedy. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7001922/netanyahu-biden-harris-us-israel-special-relationship/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7001922/netanyahu-biden-harris-us-israel-special-relationship/"},"headline":"It's Time to Rethink the U.S.-Israel 'Special Relationship'","datePublished":"2024-07-24T10:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T18:00:27.142Z","description":"Netanyahu's address to Congress is a reminder that the embrace of Israel is core to decades of flawed U.S. Middle East policy.","url":"https://time.com/7001922/netanyahu-biden-harris-us-israel-special-relationship/","keywords":["world affairs","freelance"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jon Hoffman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jon-hoffman/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/world-affairs/","name":"world affairs"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7001922/netanyahu-biden-harris-us-israel-special-relationship/","name":"It's Time to Rethink the U.S.-Israel 'Special Relationship'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Addresses a Joint Meeting of Congress","description":"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded U.S.-Israeli unity and praised President Joe Biden in a fiery speech to Congress Wednesday that sparked boycotts by some top Democrats and drew thousands of protesters to the Capitol to condemn the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis it has created.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/g6Tumn2Q/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2024-07-24T20:07:30.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/g6Tumn2Q.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7001922/netanyahu-biden-harris-us-israel-special-relationship/","duration":"PT6M3S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7001922/netanyahu-biden-harris-us-israel-special-relationship/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```