For most of its history, Israel’s alliance with the United States rested on an unwritten understanding: Israel depended on Washington, but the final decisions were made in Jerusalem. Today, more and more Israelis are beginning to question that assumption.

American pressure during the Gaza war, efforts to limit Israel’s response to Iran, and even Trump’s intervention in Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal trial have reinforced a growing perception that Washington is no longer merely influencing Israeli decisions but increasingly defining their boundaries. The question troubling many Israelis today is whether Israel’s necessary dependence on the United States has begun to come at the expense of its freedom of action.

Until recently, most Israelis would have dismissed such a claim out of hand. Dependence on the United States was viewed as a strategic necessity, not as a threat to sovereignty. American presidents could advise, criticize, or pressure Israel, but the final decision was always assumed to remain Israeli. Today, that assumption is being tested.

The first signs emerged during the Gaza war. When Donald Trump pushed for a ceasefire and helped secure the release of hostages, many Israelis welcomed the outcome. Few paused to ask what the episode revealed about the balance of power between the two countries. The striking fact was that a major diplomatic and security development was driven not in Jerusalem but in the White House.

The same pattern reappeared in the confrontation with Iran. Following the latest missile attack, Trump publicly suggested that Netanyahu would act in accordance with his wishes and pressed Israel to refrain from military retaliation. According to a report by Ronen Bergman, Israel even considered a much broader strike but backed away after American intervention. The issue is not whether every detail of these reports is accurate. It is that an American president spoke and acted as though he possessed the authority to determine the limits of Israel’s response.

The pattern did not stop in the security realm. Trump’s public intervention on Netanyahu’s behalf in his criminal trial signaled a willingness to involve himself in one of Israel’s most sensitive domestic........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)