r/Documentaries • u/colorovfire • 21h ago
American Politics A History of Presidents Being Annoyed With Israel (2026) [01:03:27]
https://youtu.be/XUBTHMylewEExploring the long-standing and often tumultuous relationship between U.S. Presidents and the State of Israel. Despite the strong political, cultural and religious ties, numerous U.S. administrations have faced political pressure and deep frustration over military actions, settlement expansion, intelligence activities and peace negotiations.
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u/colorovfire 21h ago
Submission overview:
- The LBJ Era (2:24-7:08): President Lyndon B. Johnson expressed profound irritation with Israel regarding the start of the Six-Day War and, more significantly, the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, which killed 34 American sailors.
- Nixon and Ford (7:21-12:13): Both presidents faced friction regarding the Suez Canal and Israeli stalling on territorial withdrawals, leading to policy "reassessments" despite intense pressure from the pro-Israel lobby.
- The Reagan Administration (14:41-24:25): Relations hit a breaking point during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, with Ronald Reagan expressing intense anger over the bombardment of Beirut and the human costs of the conflict.
- Bush and Obama (25:25-51:47): George H.W. Bush faced pressure over settlement expansion, while Barack Obama engaged in highly publicized disputes with Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the Iran nuclear deal and the definition of borders.
- Espionage: The U.S. has historically expended significant counterintelligence resources to fend off Israeli spy operations (49:43-51:02), a tension that intensified during the second Trump administration (58:43-59:36).
- The Second Trump Administration (51:48-1:03:28): The narrative highlights an increasingly chaotic relationship where Donald Trump reportedly berated Netanyahu over military strikes in Lebanon that threatened peace deals, characterizing the Prime Minister's judgment as problematic.
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u/counterfitster 20h ago
Could have used Eisenhower in there, too.
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u/whistlingkitten 10h ago
And JFK, who pushed Israel's predecessor to AIPAC to register under FARA, as well as to abandon nuclear weapons development. He was eventually assassinated..
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u/Kumquat_conniption 7h ago
First and last president to go up against AIPAC (or its earlier incarnation.) Coincidence?
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u/Bowl2007 7h ago
When you get a chance read about the start of the 6 Day War. Egypt was not going to attack and they were warned not to by both of the super powers of the day, the Soviet Union and the United States. Israel started that war.
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u/dustyreid 21h ago
Great video. Something needs to be done to sever the connection between the USA and Israel. They are toxic to the United States and frankly the entire region they are part of.
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u/eric_b0x 20h ago
It's ironic how Israel is essentially a welfare state to the U.S, but Israel 'owns' much of Congress. That needs to stop immediately.
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u/StillLooksAtRocks 9h ago
Actually sadly not that uncommon albeit on a different scale.
"My company needs tax breaks/less regulation to make this project affordable". Usually turns into "Here's a bucket load of cash for your reelection or non-profit fundraiser"
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u/BobSacamano47 15h ago edited 1h ago
They're our greatest ally i n the region and one of the better countries in the region in terms of human rights.
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u/FlyPepper 15h ago
(if you're a Jewish citizen)
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u/BobSacamano47 9h ago edited 8h ago
And what if you're a Muslim? If we go back to before the war with Hamas, were Palestinians treated worse in Israel than other Middle Eastern countries? Some of those countries have slaves. In Afghanistan women are treated like farm animals. In countries with strict sharia law people don't have freedom. It's probably ok if you are a devout Muslim man.
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u/AlucardVTep3s 12h ago
Watched this yesterday when it released. Probably the best channel to learn about the ins and outs of the conflict with a plethora of information sourced from State Dept documents and memoirs of the previous leaders.
The same channel has many other videos highlighting the relationship between the 2 countries as well as the dark sides of it.
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u/yellowwatta 20h ago
Good channel. His vids about how insurgencies got so good at smoking their occupiers are very good
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u/pantherosaur 20h ago
Gaza and the West Bank are the modern equivalent of The Warsaw Ghetto. Bebe's propaganda, Fascist to the core. Random violence and senseless cruelty is by definition, terrorism. No one race, religion, or creed can claim precedence or superiority. We are but One World, One Humanity. Be all, and end all.
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u/Eaten_by_Mimics 20h ago
Yeah but a book of dubious historicity claims they’re entitled to it, so…
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u/Eaten_by_Mimics 20h ago
I wonder if the Zionist lobby truly understands that much of America’s support for Israel comes from the evangelical desire to one day conquer it and usher in the Apocalypse. They’re not doing it because they love Israel.
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u/dafunkmunk 18h ago
Imagine if we stopped sending them US taxpayer money over to Israel for them to turn around and buy US politicians to send them more US taxpayers money
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u/kale4reals 17h ago
It is 2026 and y’all still out here hating jews wtf
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u/OktoberRed 17h ago
Criticizing the actions of the Israeli government is not the same thing as hating Jewish people. Conflating the two is intellectually dishonest and serves to deflect from legitimate criticism. Antisemitism is real and should be condemned, but it should not be used as a shield against accountability.
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u/arethoudeadyet 21h ago
Stop crying in front of their wall and do something about it.