Has US lost its sway over Israel?

Biden’s ability to restrain Netanyahu is in question amid fears of wider Middle East war.

epa11496054 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) shakes hands with US President Joe Biden during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington, DC, USA, 25 July 2024. US President Joe Biden hosts Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu the day after Netanyahu delivered an address to a joint meeting of the US Congress. EPA-EFE/SAMUEL CORUM / POOL

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) with US President Joe Biden during a meeting in the White House on July 25.

PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Bhagyashree Garekar

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WASHINGTON – As the volatile Middle East appears poised to tip into a wider war, US influence over Israel, its strongest ally in the region, is at its weakest in decades.

Tel Aviv has responded to US pressure at several key junctures in the past, but the Oct 7 Hamas attack, which claimed more than 1,200 lives, seems to have shifted the calculus for Israel under its combative prime minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu.

Has US lost its sway over Israel?

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