ABSTRACT
Notwithstanding Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s broad personal acquaintance with American Jewry, relations between Israel and the American Jewish Community reached crisis mode over the course of his long tenure. This chapter will analyze the reasons for the split between Netanyahu and the vast majority of American Jews, who are non-Orthodox in their beliefs. Among the issues discussed are Netanyahu’s reneging on an agreement to provide prayer space for non-Orthodox Jews at the Western Wall in Jerusalem; his opposition to the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, which was supported by most American Jews; his repeated clashes with US President Barack Obama, who had wide support among American Jews; and Netanyahu’s close identification with Obama’s successor, Donald Trump, who was opposed by most American Jews.
