# Midterm results expose growing US political costs of backing Israel

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-midterms-were-a-thumping-rebuke-of-the-us-israel-relationship/
- Published: 2026-11-04T19:22:43+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T19:54:47+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/04/israel-relationship-midterm-elections
- Topics: Americas, Elections, Middle East, Politics, World

## Key points

- Pro-Palestinian candidates made gains in the midterms.
- Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.
- The bipartisan consensus on Israel faces growing pressure.

## Summary

The midterm results signalled a sharp shift in US politics, with pro-Palestinian candidates winning races against pro-Israel opponents and Donald Trump appearing to acknowledge that support for Israel had become a political liability. The article argues that the war in Gaza and the economic consequences of the Iran war helped weaken the longstanding bipartisan consensus backing the US-Israel relationship.

Among the winners was Abdul El-Sayed, the first Muslim elected to the US Senate, despite more than $40m being spent by Aipac to defeat him. The article says the next Congress could consider measures such as an arms embargo or sanctions on violent settlers and officials, though Trump could veto them; his suggestion to replace nearly $4bn in annual military aid with arms sales may leave funding largely intact. Aipac had also said its direct support was hurting some candidates, while the war in Gaza has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.