How Netanyahu Lost America
Benjamin Netanyahu, once a key figure in maintaining strong U.S.-Israel relations, has seen his influence wane significantly among American political circles. The article details how shifting bipartisan support and changing attitudes within the Democratic Party have isolated the Israeli Prime Minister.
Why it matters
The erosion of the bipartisan consensus on Israel represents a major shift in U.S. foreign policy and could have long-term implications for the U.S.-Israel alliance.
The prime minister, a self-styled expert on the U.S., has shattered his country’s standing.
Mark Peterson / Redux for The Atlantic July 27, 2026, 7 AM ET Share Save In 1982, Benjamin Netanyahu was the marketing director of a Jerusalem-based furniture maker when Israel’s ambassador in Washington decided that the 32-year-old had been pitching the wrong product. Instead of selling cupboards to Israelis, he should have been selling Israel to Americans. The ambassador, who met Netanyahu at a conference a few years earlier, brought him to Washington as his deputy. Almost instantly, Netanyahu became the face of Israel on American television—a fixture on Nightline and Larry King Live , pugnacious, eloquent in unaccented English acquired as a boy in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
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