John Lybeck

Israel’s War Has Made an Unchanged U.S. Aid Relationship Unsustainable

The panel’s central dispute was whether Washington can make its security relationship with Israel more conditional—or phase down aid—without sacrificing the leverage and regional influence that a deeper break could forfeit. Dan Shapiro argued for a managed transition that preserves Israel’s deterrence and U.S. influence; Dahlia Scheindlin saw conditionality as an increasingly durable political response to Israeli policy, prolonged war and civilian harm. Ted Deutch countered that aid policy cannot be serious if it treats Israel as solely responsible for a conflict in which Hamas and other regional actors retain agency.