{
"authors": [
"Aaron David Miller",
"Yael Lempert",
"Daniel C. Kurtzer",
"Shibley Telhami"
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Israel and the U.S. in a Changing Landscape: Is the Special Relationship Failing?
Thu, August 13th, 2026
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM (EDT)
Live Online
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Since the state of Israel was established in 1948, the U.S.-Israeli relationship has had its ups and downs. Even with episodic tensions under American presidents of both parties, U.S. support for Israel remained strong. In the last few years, however, the foundational elements of the relationship—shared values, common interests, and strong bipartisan domestic support—have come under unprecedented strain and scrutiny, especially as Congressional and public attitudes have grown more critical.
What’s driving the decline and to what extent is this shift affecting the actual substance of the U.S.-Israeli relationship? How has the war with Iran and Israeli policies in Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank impacted strategic cooperation, intelligence sharing, and political alignment between the two nations? Have we reached an inflection point where America’s special relationship with Israel is changing irreversibly?
Join Aaron David Miller as he engages Princeton University’s Daniel Kurtzer, the Middle East Institute’s Yael Lempert, and the University of Maryland’s Shibley Telhami, in a wide-ranging discussion of the future of the U.S.-Israeli relationship, on the next Carnegie Connects.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
Event Speakers
Senior Fellow, American Statecraft Program
Aaron David Miller is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, focusing on U.S. foreign policy.
Yael Lempert
Vice President for Outreach, Middle East Institute
Ambassador (ret.) Yael Lempert joined the Middle East Institute as the vice president for Outreach in September 2025. Previously, Ambassador Lempert served for over 27 years as an American diplomat, including as the U.S. ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan from 2023 to 2025. Her other previous positions include acting assistant secretary of state and principal deputy assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs from 2021 through 2023. She served in 2021 as the chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in London, and as the deputy chief of mission for the two years prior. She was acting deputy assistant secretary of state for Egypt and North Africa from 2017 to 2018.
Daniel C. Kurtzer
Lecturer and S. Daniel Abraham Professor of Middle East Policy Studies, Princeton University
Daniel C. Kurtzer is the S. Daniel Abraham Professor of Middle East Policy Studies at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs. During a twenty-nine-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, Ambassador Kurtzer served as the U.S. ambassador to Israel and as the U.S. ambassador to Egypt. He was also a speechwriter and member of secretary of state George P. Shultz’s Policy Planning Staff and served as deputy assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs and principal deputy assistant secretary for Intelligence and Research.
Shibley Telhami
Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, University of Maryland, College Park
Shibley Telhami is the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, College Park, Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, and Director of the University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll. He is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.