The publication of a book by journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan has laid bare the depth of frustration inside the White House towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The volume, Regime Change, details a September 2025 phone call in which President Donald Trump, angered by Israeli resistance to a Gaza ceasefire proposal, told Netanyahu that “all the Jews are sick of you” and warned of a possible “divorce” between the two allies. The exchange, confirmed by multiple officials cited in the book, marks the most explicit public indication of a personal rupture that is now shaping strategic decisions across the Middle East.

Both governments have sought to publicly downplay the rift. A White House official described the relationship as strong and praised Israel’s military as “incredible partners” in a campaign that “decimated the Iranian regime’s military capabilities.” The State Department reiterated an “iron-clad” commitment to Israel’s security. Netanyahu, whose office declined to comment on the call, said this month that the two leaders “agree many times and sometimes disagree.” Yet former US officials and regional analysts argue the episode reflects a structural shift: Washington is increasingly treating Israeli objections as constraints rather than building its Iran policy around them. Commentators in Beirut note that the clash was predictable given Trump’s tendency to blame allies when military campaigns fail to deliver swift victories, and Netanyahu’s failure to plan for a scenario in which the Iranian regime did not collapse.

The consequences are already visible. The US-Iran interim pact, which folded the Lebanon front into a broader framework, has sidelined Israel from key decisions, according to three regional diplomatic sources. Netanyahu, who promised “ultimate victory” at the war’s outset, now faces an autumn election with none of his stated goals achieved: the Iranian system stands, Hezbollah remains a threat, and displaced northern Israelis have not returned. In the United States, the strain has produced domestic political aftershocks. Pro-Palestinian candidates backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani unseated two incumbent Democrats in congressional primaries, a development Republican strategists say will allow them to label the Democratic Party as anti-Israel.

For decades, Netanyahu cultivated an image as the Israeli leader who could bend Washington to his will, addressing Congress more times than any other prime minister and building deep Republican ties. Analysts in Washington and New Delhi argue that narrative has now been reversed as President Trump pursues a disengagement from Middle Eastern wars while Israel insists on sustained military pressure against Iran and its proxies. The Israeli security establishment, as reflected in editorial commentary in Jerusalem, is drawing a different lesson: that Israel must deepen its alliance with the US but cannot outsource its security, and should accelerate domestic weapons production to reduce dependence on American supply chains. The US administration is expected to press ahead with negotiations to turn the interim Iran deal into a permanent arrangement, while Israeli officials signal they will resist any settlement that leaves Hezbollah’s capabilities intact. The book’s revelations are likely to further strain the personal diplomacy on which the alliance has long relied.