World

Israel’s Opposition Blames Netanyahu for U.S. Congressional Shift

By Al Jazeera Staff

Israeli opposition leaders have blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for weakening Israel’s standing in the United States after Democrats gained control of both the Senate and the House. The remarks were made on Wednesday, following the U.S. midterm results that saw Democrats win majorities in both chambers, a rebuke to President Donald Trump that was partly driven by frustration over the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran.

The vote came a week after Israel’s own election, in which Netanyahu’s right‑wing coalition lost its parliamentary majority but remained strong enough to prevent his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, from taking over. Yair Lapid, a former prime minister whose party is part of the coalition seeking to unseat Netanyahu, said on social media that the U.S. results showed “Israel cannot afford” for Netanyahu to remain in office. He added that it endangers Israel’s security, jeopardises its democracy and will ruin its standing on the global stage.

For decades the United States has been Israel’s staunchest ally, providing billions of dollars a year in military aid since the 1970s. Unlike previous Israeli leaders, who courted both Democrats and Republicans, Netanyahu has openly sided with Republicans. Some Democratic candidates made criticism of military aid to Israel amid its war on Gaza a central campaign theme.

On Tuesday, Trump, who had endorsed Netanyahu in Israel’s election, pledged to halt $4 billion in annual funding to Israel, saying the move would remove a “bad talking point” for Democrats.

Lapid said Israel must return to the rule that worked for seventy years and broke in 2015, when Netanyahu spoke in Congress against then‑President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. He wrote on X that Israel “doesn’t choose sides in America. We work with everyone.” He acknowledged that the “anti‑Israel core” in Congress has grown but is still less than 10 percent of the Senate. He noted that Democratic lawmakers Hakeem Jeffries would lead the House and Chuck Schumer the Senate, both of whom he said voted with Israel even when the majority of their party caucus voted otherwise.

Eisenkot said that under his leadership Israel would restore its bipartisan ties with Washington. He wrote on X that Israel would renew and deepen the partnership, strengthen bipartisan foundations, and work with allies to advance a Middle East defined by opportunity and cooperation. He added that Israel would remain one of America’s most reliable and capable strategic partners in the Middle East.

Yair Golan, whose party is also part of the anti‑Netanyahu coalition, said the U.S. vote showed “just how toxic Netanyahu has become” among Democrats and Republicans alike. He warned that if Netanyahu and his far‑right government stayed in power, Israel would be on a path toward international sanctions, global isolation, and confrontation with the United States.

Netanyahu did not immediately respond to the opposition’s criticism.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the leading pro‑Israel lobbying group, echoed Lapid’s sentiment. In a post on X it congratulated “the hundreds of pro‑Israel Democrats and Republicans who won their elections last night,” noting that 234 candidates it had backed won. It singled out Schumer and Jeffries and pledged to “increase its support for Democrats and Republicans who recognize that a strong partnership with Israel helps keep both countries secure.”