Retired Israeli Major General Isaac Brik has warned that Israel is facing a long term existential threat amid what he described as an unprecedented deterioration in its strategic relationship with the United States. He argued that the crisis has moved beyond traditional political disagreements and evolved into a broad social and cultural shift within American society, particularly among younger generations.
In an article published by the Hebrew newspaper Maariv, Brik said social media platforms have become a central force in deepening hostility towards Israel across the United States through content portraying it as a state that violates international law and basic moral values.
He noted that discourse circulating on these platforms increasingly focuses on accusations that the Israeli occupation army has committed “serious crimes”, while also promoting a deeply negative image of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. According to Brik, this narrative has contributed to growing international isolation and rising global hostility towards Israel.
Brik added that American public opinion has become closely tied to the current Israeli leadership, particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and cabinet ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. He said their political conduct and media rhetoric have directly damaged Israel’s image abroad.
He argued that Smotrich’s controversial positions, alongside legal threats linked to the International Criminal Court, have reinforced his image in Western countries as a “dangerous” figure. At the same time, Brik said Ben-Gvir’s actions and inflammatory statements have caused what he described as “massive propaganda damage” to Israel.
Brik further stated that Netanyahu is now viewed by large sections of American and international public opinion as one of the world’s most divisive and widely disliked leaders. He added that the “propaganda tragedy” lies in the growing perception that “Israel is Netanyahu, and Netanyahu is Israel”.
According to Brik, continuing along this path could lead within a few years to a dramatic decline in American support for Israel, despite Washington remaining its most important strategic and economic ally.
He concluded that the only opportunity to reverse this trajectory lies in internal political change within Israel through replacing the current leadership, which he believes could help repair relations with the United States and restore Israel’s image as a state founded on what he described as “shared democratic and moral values”.
