ABSTRACT
It is generally agreed that the Iran nuclear deal in 2015 was a defeat for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other groups that promote the pro-Israel perspective in Washington. The Israeli failure in 2002 thus set the stage for the debacle of 2015. "A number of Israel's defenders—most notably Martin Kramer—have challenged the claim that Israel and the lobby encouraged the United States to attack Iraq". In January 2007, former Israeli ambassador to Washington Danny Ayalon revealed that Sharon had cautioned Bush against invading Iraq, in their Washington meeting of February 7, 2002. The "long pause" continued into the Obama administration, which pushed through an Iran deal that gave rise to deep misgivings across the Israeli political spectrum and a very public crisis in US-Israeli relations. In 2015, Israel's disagreement with the US administration over Iran was very public, and some believe that it damaged Israeli credibility and the standing of the pro-Israel lobby.
