A victory for Netanyahu but one that comes with conditions

The US-Israel power relationship will be more one-sided and Trump's clout will be many times greater than his predecessor's

- Julian Borger

The Biden administration had put off imposing any meaningful pressure on the Israeli prime minister until after the election, despite its growing frustration with him on multiple issues: the obstruction of aid into Gaza, his campaign against the UN, his obstruction of a hostage deal and his government's support for violent West Bank settlers.

It is leverage that progressive Democrats had begged Joe Biden for throughout the 13 months of the Gaza conflict. Anger over the continued provision of bombs used to demolish Gaza - in Michigan, home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the US, and elsewhere - contributed to Kamala Harris's defeat.

Now even if America's overwhelming clout in the region is to be finally unleashed, it will be too late to have any meaningful impact. The secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and the defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, wrote to the Israeli government last month detailing its obstruction of humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenging its efforts to close down the UN relief agency Unrwa. The letter gave Israel 30 days, until after the US presidential election, to change course or face restrictions under US law on the supply of American weapons.