US-Israel Relations Show Strain Ahead of Netanyahu-Trump Meeting

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump this week at a time when the historically strong alliance between the two countries is facing visible stress. The meeting comes amid differences over the war with Iran, Israel's military operations in Lebanon and Gaza, and signs that the personal rapport between the two leaders—both facing elections later this year—is weakening.

Netanyahu has long presented his close relationship with Trump as a political advantage. However, Trump is now dealing with a domestic electorate that is increasingly critical of the war in Gaza. Opinion polls in the United States show that support for Israel among Americans has dropped to historic lows since the conflict began. This shift in public sentiment is affecting the bipartisan consensus that has long underpinned US military aid to Israel.

Earlier this month, more than 100 Democratic members of the House of Representatives voted to cut US military assistance to Israel, indicating growing unease within the party. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has called on the federal government to enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Netanyahu. These developments highlight a deepening divide in American politics over Israel policy.

Another source of tension is the proposed US-Saudi nuclear deal. Israel has expressed concerns that such an agreement could, over time, erode its strategic military edge in the region and reduce its leverage in securing normalisation of ties with Saudi Arabia.

The US-Israel alliance has been a cornerstone of Middle East policy since the 1967 Six-Day War, built on shared strategic interests and perceived common democratic and Judeo-Christian values. However, that foundation appears to be fraying. Younger generations of Americans do not hold the same instinctive support for Israel as their predecessors, and the old bipartisan agreement on military aid is weakening.

How Netanyahu and Trump reconcile these competing pressures—Netanyahu's need to show a strong alliance, Trump's domestic political calculations, and the evolving US public opinion—will shape the outcome of this week's meeting. The future of US-Israel relations may hinge on the direction the war in Iran takes and the broader geopolitical realignments in the region.