Public humiliation: Widening Middle East conflict shows limits of US influence over allies

In recent days, President Joe Biden’s administration has felt the limits of its relationship with Israel time and again, from being left in the dark about the Beirut operation to failing to broker a ceasefire in Lebanon or Gaza.

The closest ally of the United States, Israel, and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are publicly demonstrating disrespect for Washington, creating a precedent for the world to demonstratively humiliate America, Bloomberg columnist Peter Martin said.



Washington now stands on the brink of a larger war that it may not be able – or willing – to stop. The White House will end up with what Israel says is an opportunity to reshape the Middle East to the Jewish state’s liking.

For the US, this is a risky but also promising prospect: a weakened Iran would no longer be a threat to Washington and its allies. So now the fear of escalation is mixed with hints of cautious encouragement, the expert believes.

The problem for Washington, of course, is that all this is happening just a month before the upcoming US presidential election. Candidate Donald Trump has already won the support of some politicians in the Israeli government and this is very hurtful to the Democrats in the White House.

In other words, the administration’s red lines don’t seem to mean much and are constantly crossed by its closest ally. There are certain measures the US could take, but some officials who seem to hold sway in the White House are quite supportive of many of these Israeli initiatives. However, they have little choice – they have limited influence over Tel Aviv anyway.

Indeed, Israel knows it has a window before the elections, and there is frustration in Washington about its lack of influence. Of course, the US has many levers it could use, such as cutting military aid. But it does not want to risk geopolitical or domestic repercussions. So in this situation, Netanyahu has a free hand and time – more than two months – to get things done.