Phil Gordon, who served within the Biden administration as then-vice president Kamala Harris’s nationwide safety advisor, issued a stark warning in an unique interview with The Jerusalem Submit on Sunday that Israeli-US ties have been severely broken.
“It is actually collapsed. There is not any sugarcoating it. I feel Israelis want to know that,” Gordon instructed the Submit.
Gordon believes the injury inflicted on relations between Israel and the US lately could also be much more enduring than many Israelis understand, doubtlessly extending nicely past the political careers of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.
“I’ve not often seen a turnaround in attitudes on a difficulty as fast and complete,” Gordon mentioned, referring to the dramatic decline in American assist for Israel over the previous yr.
“You’ve got an entire era of Individuals,” he continued. “Have a look at the numbers on sympathy for Israelis versus Palestinians or favorable to Israel. It is actually collapsed. There is not any sugarcoating it. I feel Israelis want to know that.”
Gordon doesn’t rule out the chance that the deterioration might show everlasting.
Requested why he not too long ago described the injury to the connection as “maybe irreparably,” he defined that his selection of phrases was deliberate.
“I write maybe as a result of I feel it is nonetheless an open query, however I additionally do not rule it out,” he mentioned. “The extra necessary phrase is irreparably as a result of it is truthfully attainable.”
Why Gordon is talking out now
Gordon’s interview comes a day after he publicly challenged efforts by Netanyahu supporters to painting a brand new e book and interviews by Brett McGurk, a senior Biden administration official intently concerned in negotiations over the Gaza struggle and the Israeli hostages, as vindication of the prime minister’s wartime choices.
In a submit on X, Gordon argued that McGurk’s account, whereas invaluable, shouldn’t be handled because the definitive model of what occurred behind the scenes.
“Whereas Brett’s front-row account is effective, that does not imply it’s definitive or its views extensively shared, together with amongst former members of the Biden administration,” Gordon wrote.
“I’d say most of my former colleagues assume that President Biden ought to have put extra stress on Israel to conduct the struggle in a different way and finish it sooner,” he added.
Gordon additionally wrote that few former administration officers believed Biden’s greatest mistake had been publicly distancing himself from Israel, what he described as exhibiting “daylight” between Washington and Jerusalem.
Talking to the Submit, Gordon defined why he determined to enter the talk over one of the crucial contentious durations in latest Israeli-American relations.
“The whole lot’s charged and that is delicate and necessary, which is why I assumed it was necessary for me to weigh in with my perspective,” he mentioned.
His account focuses notably on the efforts to safe a hostage settlement throughout the summer season of 2024, together with a vital telephone dialog between Biden and Netanyahu that, Gordon says, revealed simply how troublesome reaching a deal would turn out to be.
The July 4 name: ‘We weren’t listening to a sure… however one thing nearer to no’
On July 4, 2024, president Joe Biden referred to as Netanyahu at what American officers believed might be a major turning level within the negotiations to launch Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
In line with Gordon, Hamas had simply indicated it was keen to desert one in all its central calls for, creating what Washington noticed as a real alternative for progress.
To grasp the importance of that second, Gordon traced the negotiations again to the spring of 2024.
For months, Hamas had insisted that Israel decide to a everlasting ceasefire earlier than any hostages had been launched. Israel refused to make such a dedication.
That dispute remained the principle impediment all through Might.
However towards the top of that month, Gordon mentioned Israel signaled it might settle for a phased ceasefire association through which a everlasting ceasefire would stay the last word goal with out requiring a right away Israeli dedication.
“With intelligent drafting, we had been in a position to put collectively the proposal that President Biden rolled out publicly on Might 31,” Gordon mentioned.
Below that framework, Israel wouldn’t should decide to a everlasting ceasefire throughout the first section, however good-faith negotiations over the ultimate preparations would permit for what Gordon described as “sustainable calm.”
The proposal represented a breakthrough as a result of it created a attainable path towards a everlasting ceasefire with out requiring Israel to just accept Hamas’s authentic situation upfront.
For weeks, nonetheless, Hamas didn’t reply.
Then, round July 2, Gordon mentioned Hamas lastly agreed in precept to the framework.
“Hamas lastly got here round and kind of agreed, in precept, with the framework, together with dropping its demand {that a} everlasting ceasefire be agreed up entrance,” he recalled.
“That felt to us like a major step ahead. No one was naive in pondering that this would not be troublesome.”
With that improvement, Biden referred to as Netanyahu on July 4 to induce him to maneuver forward.
“The plan was to actually urge him to take the deal,” Gordon mentioned.
“This has gone on far too lengthy. The hostages had suffered far too lengthy. There was far an excessive amount of catastrophic injury, Palestinian lives misplaced. Humanitarian situations had been horrific.”
However Gordon mentioned Netanyahu’s response shortly dampened American expectations.
“I feel we, the American facet, had been fairly deflated to listen to Netanyahu say, ‘Okay, , I hear you, Joe, however listed below are all of the issues that should occur for this to work,'” Gordon recalled.
Netanyahu then started itemizing these necessities throughout the name.
“I might inform in that second that we weren’t listening to a sure or perhaps a sure, I can work with this, however one thing nearer to no.”
In line with Gordon, Netanyahu subsequently started what he described as “clarifying” Israel’s place, clarifications that Washington considered successfully introducing extra situations into the negotiations.
Philadelphi Hall, Gallant, and the political query
One of the crucial consequential Israeli calls for concerned retaining army forces alongside the complete Philadelphi Hall, the slender strip of territory separating Gaza from Egypt.
Gordon emphasised that Israel had not even absolutely managed the hall when the unique proposals had been developed.
“In that sense, it actually was a brand new situation,” he mentioned.
Netanyahu continued insisting on that place all through the autumn of 2024, regardless of objections from senior Israeli officers.
Gordon particularly cited then-defense minister Yoav Gallant, who, he mentioned, thought-about continued management of the complete hall militarily pointless and an impediment to reaching a deal.
One other disputed situation concerned an Israeli screening mechanism for Palestinians returning to northern Gaza, which might have required Israeli forces to stay in central Gaza.
In his earlier X submit, Gordon argued that these situations made an settlement not possible for an additional six months.
Throughout that interval, he wrote, practically 9,000 extra Palestinians had been killed, whereas extra Israeli hostages died, together with the six hostages executed by Hamas in August 2024.
He famous that each Israeli situations had been finally dropped from the settlement reached in January 2025.
Requested immediately whether or not Netanyahu intentionally delayed the settlement to protect his governing coalition, Gordon declined to guage the prime minister’s motivations.
“I am unable to communicate to or speculate about his motives,” he mentioned.
“I do know there was quite a lot of speak that he feared that he would lose his coalition if he compromised on sure points.”
Gordon acknowledged that Netanyahu would possibly genuinely have believed that continued Israeli management of the Philadelphi Hall was militarily crucial.
“He actually articulated again and again that complete victory was the one possibility,” Gordon mentioned.
However he added that the political implications had been troublesome to disregard.
“It additionally appeared to be the case that holding his coalition collectively relied on rejecting that proposal, so yeah, you may draw your personal conclusions.”
Gordon pressured that nobody might know with certainty whether or not better flexibility by Netanyahu would have produced an settlement throughout the summer season of 2024.
However, he argued that Netanyahu’s insistence on these situations had a transparent consequence.
“We do know that by digging in and taking the positions that he did, which appeared to align together with his political pursuits, and definitely aligned together with his emphasis on the necessity for complete victory, that made any deal at the moment not possible,” he mentioned.
A warning for Israel: Arms conditionality is now mainstream amongst Democrats
For Gordon, one of the crucial important penalties of the Israel-Hamas Conflict within the Gaza Strip isn’t merely the deterioration in relations between Netanyahu and the Biden administration, however a broader transformation in American political attitudes towards Israel.
Positions as soon as thought-about marginal in debates over US army help have more and more moved into the Democratic mainstream.
“Arms conditionality has now gone from a type of fringe view to a mainstream Democratic place,” Gordon mentioned.
He pointed to the rising variety of Democratic senators supporting measures that may situation American help to Israel, together with laws regarding Israel’s deliberate improvement within the E1 space east of Jerusalem within the West Financial institution.
Gordon cited a Senate proposal he mentioned nearly all Democrats supported and that may withhold help over E1.
Though the shift has been notably pronounced amongst Democrats, Gordon emphasised that declining assist for Israel isn’t confined to 1 political occasion.
“I do know persons are principally centered on Democrats, and it is true there’s sharper criticism of Israel amongst Democrats, nevertheless it exists in each events,” he mentioned.
A future Israeli authorities adopting completely different insurance policies might start rebuilding the connection, Gordon argued, however reversing the injury would require a sustained effort.
“I feel with a brand new Israeli authorities and completely different insurance policies, the connection might enhance, he mentioned.
“With work on either side, possibly it may be repaired, however I do not assume anyone ought to underestimate the problem.”
Ought to Biden have withheld extra weapons from Israel?
Whereas sharply essential of Netanyahu, Gordon doesn’t absolve the administration through which he served of duty.
Requested what concrete stress Biden ought to have utilized, he rejected the concept that Washington confronted solely two choices: persevering with army help with out situations or imposing a complete arms embargo.
“We had nice respect for Israel’s must defend itself towards Hezbollah, towards Iran,” Gordon mentioned.
He famous that the specter of Iranian army motion was notably actual throughout that interval, together with the ballistic missile and drone assault Iran launched towards Israel in April 2024.
He defined that this safety menace was a significant purpose the Biden administration didn’t assist broadly withholding weapons.
However Gordon argued that Washington had many different obtainable instruments.
“There’s an terrible lot between doing nothing and withholding all weapons,” he mentioned.
“It begins with diplomatic stress. It begins with calling out Israel and pushing it to just accept these agreements. You’ll be able to take diplomatic measures on the United Nations and elsewhere, after which sure, you too can begin conditioning weapons.”
He cited the administration’s choice to withhold sure 2,000-pound bombs for instance of utilizing army help to sign critical disagreement with Israel’s conduct of the struggle and its dealing with of the humanitarian disaster.
One episode notably demonstrated the potential effectiveness of American stress, Gordon argued: Biden’s response to the Israeli strike that killed help staff from World Central Kitchen.
In line with Gordon, Biden referred to as Netanyahu and delivered a direct warning.
“You’ll do this stuff on the humanitarian entrance, and I must see them instantly, or US coverage goes to alter,” Gordon recalled Biden telling Netanyahu.
“Israel did, and opened up additional crossings, and that was an instance of how US stress might work.”
Gordon additionally pointed to the stress McGurk and Steve Witkoff utilized throughout negotiations over the January 2025 settlement, throughout the presidential transition following Trump’s election victory.
“When Brett McGurk and Steve Witkoff had been urgent the Israelis to just accept the ultimate deal in January, and Trump behind the scenes, I feel that type of stress additionally labored,” he mentioned.
Iran earlier than the elections: ‘A unstable and harmful stalemate’
Gordon additionally addressed one other query now dominating discussions in Jerusalem and Washington: May Israel or the US resume main army operations towards Iran earlier than Israel’s elections and the US midterms?
He refused to supply a definitive prediction, warning as a substitute that the present confrontation was unusually unstable.
“We have discovered over the past two years and past to not exclude something,” Gordon mentioned.
“The scenario is extraordinarily unstable.”
One among his central considerations is that each Washington and Tehran imagine time is working of their favor.
“I am afraid that each the US and Iran really feel that point is on their facet,” he mentioned.
“The US thinks that the blockade is working or squeezing Iran or the economic system, however Iran appears like midterms looming and stress on the US economic system means it might probably resist and last more.”
That competing evaluation, Gordon argued, explains the present diplomatic and army deadlock.
“That is what explains this present stalemate. Nevertheless it’s a unstable and harmful stalemate.”
Gordon fears that the stress marketing campaign could produce additional escalation earlier than Tehran agrees to American calls for.
“One is that earlier than Iran collapses, which is kind of the objective, both capitulates or collapses, which is the objective of most stress, it’ll lash out,” he mentioned.
He cited latest Houthi assaults towards Riyadh and the sooner assault on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline as examples of how regional escalation can spiral, whereas noting that the Houthis, fairly than Iran immediately, had been accountable for these assaults.
Gordon additionally provided a notable evaluation of Trump’s army decision-making in latest months.
“I’d say that over the previous couple of months, each time Trump has threatened it and regarded it, he is backed off as a result of he has realized that the results might be devastating,” he mentioned.
“I do not know if that can maintain, however I do assume it is value holding in thoughts.”
Gordon argued that the struggle has already demonstrated the hazard of unintended penalties.
“I feel this struggle, after six months now, has confirmed to be catastrophic, with all types of unintended penalties,” he mentioned.
“If Israel or the US did determine to renew a significant escalation, for causes of Israel’s election or our elections, I concern that we might simply see much more unintended penalties of the tragic kind that we have been seeing for the previous six months.”
Gordon’s criticism of Trump: A yr of missed alternatives in Gaza
Towards the top of the interview, Gordon turned his criticism towards Trump’s dealing with of Gaza throughout the first yr of his administration.
The January 2025 hostage and ceasefire settlement, Gordon argued, had created a chance to place Gaza on a unique trajectory: convey house the remaining hostages, protect the ceasefire, set up a brand new governing association, and start reconstruction for Palestinians.
As an alternative, he mentioned, that chance was squandered.
“As soon as we lastly bought the deal in January 2025, that was a chance to at the least begin placing it on the best path, get all of the hostages out, have a ceasefire, a unique authorities in Gaza, and rebuild for Palestinians,” Gordon mentioned.
“However as a substitute, Israel broke the ceasefire in March. Trump did nothing about that,” he argued.
In line with Gordon, an entire blockade on meals, water, and drugs adopted for 2 months, dramatically worsening an already extreme humanitarian disaster.
He contended that Trump didn’t start making use of critical stress for a renewed ceasefire till after Israel struck Doha later that yr.
“Trump generally will get credit score for getting the ceasefire and the 20-point plan in place, and provides him credit score for that, superb,” Gordon mentioned.
“I feel it is clearly a very good factor that the ceasefire was achieved, and there is a path ahead in Gaza.”
However he argued that the administration’s earlier inaction shouldn’t be forgotten.
“Individuals should not overlook that it took a yr, together with turning a blind eye to an entire blockade of Gaza that severely deteriorated the humanitarian scenario, after which the complete summer season earlier than he bought motivated,” Gordon mentioned.
“And that was once more solely after Israel struck in Doha.”
For Gordon, the criticism of Netanyahu, Biden and Trump is a part of the identical broader argument: The Gaza struggle introduced terribly troublesome decisions, however he believes alternatives to finish the preventing and safe the discharge of hostages had been repeatedly missed.
Now, he warns, Israel faces one other formidable problem: Rebuilding the belief and standing it has misplaced among the many American public.
“With work on either side, possibly it may be repaired,” Gordon mentioned.
“However I do not assume anyone ought to underestimate the problem.”
