With friends like these

Despite being the largest recipient of American aid and diplomatic protection, Israel has, time and again, acted in ways that harm US interests. Over the decades, Israel has engaged in covert arms deals, cyberattacks on American firms and lobbying efforts that repeatedly undermine US diplomacy in the Middle East. All this from a state that was created through Western arms and money and continues to be shielded by American taxpayers.

Most recently, in 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly defied then US president Joe Biden’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza. This consistent defiance is deliberate. Israel has long wagered that America’s backing will remain, regardless of how many red lines are crossed. But that wager now threatens to drag the US into a deepening moral and geopolitical crisis. The US really ought to reassess its relationship with its ‘friend’ for its own sake.

Majid Burfat

Karachi