Andrew P. Miller writes:

The bond between the United States and Israel has remained extraordinarily close for three decades. The United States has remained in lockstep with Israel through the heady days of the 1990s peace process with the Palestine Liberation Organization; the second intifada, the five-year Palestinian uprising that began in 2000; and then, over the next two decades, a series of conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. The bond endured through Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza, with two U.S. presidential administrations providing largely unconditional diplomatic and military support to Israel.

But the Gaza war has also made clear that maintaining this type of bilateral relationship comes with steep costs. With few exceptions—most notably the cease-fire that went into effect in early October 2025—Washington has struggled without success to shape Israel’s conduct of the war. That failure is not an anomaly; it is rooted in the nature of the U.S.-Israeli relationship. Although the United States and the United Kingdom may have a “special relationship,” the United States and Israel have an “exceptional relationship”: Israel receives treatment that no other ally or partner enjoys. When other countries buy U.S. weapons, the sales are subject to a bevy of U.S. laws; Israel has never truly been compelled to comply. Other partners refrain from displaying overt preferences for one American political party; Israel’s leaders do so and face no consequences. And Washington does not typically defend another country’s policies that are contrary to its own, nor does it block mild criticism of them in international organizations—but this is standard practice when dealing with Israel.

This exceptionalism has hindered the interests of both countries, in addition to inflicting immense harm on the Palestinians. Rather than helping ensure Israel’s survival—the policy’s ostensible intent—unconditional U.S. support has enabled the worst instincts of Israeli leaders. The results have been the relentless increase in illegal Israeli settlements and settler violence in the West Bank and mass civilian casualties in Gaza, along with famine in some areas. American support has enabled reckless Israeli military actions across the Middle East and exacerbated Israel’s own existential dangers. In the United States, the war in Gaza has dramatically eroded public support for Israel, with unfavorable attitudes toward Israel at record highs across the political spectrum.

The relationship cannot continue in its current form indefinitely. It requires a new paradigm, one more consistent with how Washington engages other countries, including its closest treaty-bound allies. This new paradigm should entail clear expectations and limits, accountability for compliance with U.S. and international law, conditions on support when Israeli policies go against U.S. interests, and noninterference in domestic politics—in short, a far more normal bilateral relationship. [Continue reading…]