Yet what is for American Jews the worst of times is, from Netanyahu’s perspective, the best of times. His more than a decade of meddling in American politics on behalf of Republican candidates and key GOP constituencies has, over the past few weeks, paid remarkable dividends. In the skies over Iran, Israeli and American pilots flew side by side. For a prime minister who has long viewed Iran as an existential threat, this was a historic achievement.

In putting all his chips on President Trump, though, Netanyahu has exacerbated the deep and growing divide between Israel and the Democratic Party.,,,,

But under Netanyahu, Israel’s relationship with American Jews has been far more fraught and tenuous. Although he grew up outside of Philadelphia, speaks fluent English without the heavy accent of many Israelis, and has long boasted of his connections to the United States, Netanyahu has shown little love for the American Jewish community.....

Indeed, Netanyahu’s second tenure as prime minister, beginning in 2009 to the present and pausing only for an 18-month interregnum in 2021–22, has been marked by a concerted effort to strengthen Israel’s ties to America’s pro-Zionist evangelical-Christian community, often at the expense of American Jews. His biographer, Anshel Pfeffer, told me that Netanyahu believes that “evangelicals are more loyal” and less likely to criticize Israel’s policies than liberal American Jews. He has told aides in private that with the support of the evangelical community, “we don’t need AIPAC,” the pro-Israel lobbying organization that has long been a steadfast supporter of Israel. For Bibi, AIPAC’s most important role is “to balance J Street,” the liberal pro-Israel lobbying group, Pfeffer said.

Netanyahu’s engagement with the Christian right has been matched by similar outreach to Republican politicians, whom he viewed as more likely to take a hard line on Iran. His key lieutenant in these efforts has been Ron Dermer, a former Republican political operative. Before moving to Israel, Dermer worked for the GOP strategist Frank Luntz, who helped formulate Newt Gingrich’s Contract With America.....

But Netanyahu hasn’t—and he won’t. Bibi’s focus is, as always, on himself and his near-term political needs. The plight of American Jews is simply not his concern.