[News] Beyond the ‘Unbreakable Bond’: Is the US reclaiming the wheel from a self-destructive Israel?

[Anti-Imperialist News]

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  Beyond the ‘Unbreakable Bond’: Is the US reclaiming the wheel from a
  self-destructive Israel?


      // Ramzy Baroud <https://english.palinfo.com/authors/ramzy-baroud>

Thursday 30-October-2025

Has Donald Trump’s sharp rebuke of Israel in his 23 October Time 
Magazine interview fundamentally changed the calculus in the Middle 
East? His comments immediately sparked two opposing views: for some, his 
position represents the clear demarcation of a genuine shift in US 
foreign policy; for others, it is nothing more than a political ploy 
designed to claw back credibility lost by the US during two years of 
Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Regarding the end of the recent Gaza genocide, Trump claimed Israeli 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “had to stop because the world was 
going to stop him,” adding, “You know, I could see what was happening … 
and Israel was becoming very unpopular.” With these words, Trump 
signaled his view that the systematic extermination of Palestinians in 
Gaza had pushed Israel to an inevitable point of isolation that even the 
US could no longer indefinitely hold back.

This is the crux of his message, repeated in his stark warning to 
Netanyahu: “Bibi, you can’t fight the world … The world’s against you. 
And Israel is a very small place compared to the world.” This may appear 
to be an obvious fact, yet considering the history of US — and, by 
extension, Western — blind support, Israel has always felt much larger 
than its own size. Indeed, Israel’s perceived power has historically 
been defined by the unconditional backing of the United States.

But, according to Trump’s claim, the US no longer perceives itself as 
the unconditional vanguard for Israel. He points to a new global power 
dynamic, noting, “There are a lot of powers out there, okay, powers 
outside of the region,” whose influence has made Washington’s 
traditional protective role unsustainable. This newfound realization is 
most evident when Trump addresses Israel’s desire to illegally annex the 
occupied Palestinian West Bank. He is now ready to take action, using 
unprecedented language: The annexation “won’t happen because I gave my 
word to the Arab countries. It will not happen. Israel would lose all of 
its support from the United States if that happened.”

Such a phrase is unprecedented in the history of US-Israeli relations. 
Yet, this defiance could easily be dismissed as Trumpian showmanship — 
bold statements that rarely translate into coherent policy. During his 
second term, Trump called for an end to the war but did little to stop 
it, expressing sympathy toward Gazans while still supplying Israel with 
weapons. His contradictions make it difficult to distinguish conviction 
from performance.

The significance of Trump’s unprecedented warning is amplified by the 
sheer timing. The Time interview was made available on the same day that 
the Israeli parliament (Knesset) approved two bills that would apply 
Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, paving the way for the full, 
illegal annexation of the occupied territory. This provocative vote 
occurred while US Vice President JD Vance was still in Tel Aviv. On his 
way out of the country, Vance launched a virulent attack on the Israeli 
government, describing the vote as “weird” and “a very stupid political 
stunt,” one which he took as an “insult.”

Those cautious of any supposed US shift are justified in their cynicism. 
There is little evidence that Washington is changing course. The 
unconditional support throughout the genocide is irrefutable proof of 
its commitment to Israel. The long trajectory of US backing, from before 
Israel’s founding to today, strongly suggests that a sudden pivot is 
highly unlikely. So, if this is not a fundamental shift, what is 
actually happening here?

Though the “unbreakable bond” remains, the balance of power has shifted. 
Israel has alternated between being the privileged client state and, 
through its lobby, the driver of the regional agenda. The war exposed 
Israel’s weaknesses and restored the old dynamic — the US as savior, 
dictating priorities. Beyond the annual $3.8 billion in military aid, 
Washington approved an additional $26 billion to sustain Israel’s 
economy and wars. When Israel failed to meet its military goals in Gaza, 
the US intervened with the ‘Gaza deal’, producing a shaky ceasefire that 
let Israel pursue its objectives by other means.

The result is a reversal of roles: Trump became more popular in Israel 
than Netanyahu, resurrecting the image of the US as the decisive power. 
The apparent clash between the two countries is less about values than 
about control — who steers Israel’s ship, Tel Aviv or Washington? The 
strong American rhetoric suggests awareness of its renewed leverage, but 
leverage alone is not policy.

This remains far from a genuine change of course. The US insists on 
managing the so-called Israeli-Palestinian conflict through its own 
political priorities, fundamentally aligned with Israel’s. By ignoring 
international law — the only source of balance and objectivity — 
Washington ensures that the roadmap to the region’s future, despite 
occasional disagreements, remains entirely in US-Israeli hands.

Such policies will fail to bring peace or justice and will inevitably 
reignite the same cycle of Israeli violence. While bombing has 
temporarily slowed in Gaza, violence is already surging in the occupied 
West Bank.

A just and lasting peace cannot be wrought through the whims of US 
administrations, through endless wars, or through uncommitted statements 
about non-annexation. True peace requires genuine accountability, 
sustained international pressure, sanctions, and the rigorous 
enforcement of international law. Only when the world continues to fight 
Netanyahu — and the self-destructive policies he represents — will a new 
genocide be averted and a just peace finally be achieved.

/-Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the Editor of The 
Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His forthcoming 
book, ‘Before the Flood,’ will be published by Seven Stories Press. His 
other books include ‘Our Vision for Liberation’, ‘My Father was a 
Freedom Fighter’ and ‘The Last Earth’. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior 
Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA)./

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