Washington Struggles to Rein In an Emboldened Israel
Trump administration has expressed frustration with Israeli actions in recent days

ā>
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-ea...4?st=uwdRra&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
ā⦠āThe fundamental change that has to be recognized in addressing the future of the Middle East is that Israel is now the strongest power in the Middle East,ā said Amos Hochstein, who was a senior adviser under President
Joe Biden. āThey are the absolute, overwhelming, dominant military hegemon of the Middle East. Like it or hate it, itās fact; there is no real counterweight.ā
āIronically, that is not necessarily good news for Israel or the U.S.,ā Hochstein said, adding that Israelās strength is leading it to overreach, prolonging its wars in Gaza and beyond.
⦠The tensions over the recent bombings in Syria and Gaza in part stem from mixed U.S. messaging and Israeli misunderstandings, said Dan Shapiro, who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Barack Obama.
⦠A senior administration official said the White House coordinates closely with Israel and has considerable influence over Netanyahu because the prime minister knows that āthe United States literally is the sole reason the state of Israel exists.āā¦ā