The Mutual Control Delusion: Why It’s Not Just the U.S. Controlling Israel, but Israel Controlling the U.S. Too

For years, people have argued about who really “controls” whom — the United States or Israel. You’ll see this debate all over social media, in political discussions, even in academic circles. Some will swear up and down that Israel is nothing more than a puppet of the United States, dependent on American money, military support, and global political shielding. Others argue that it’s the other way around, that Israel effectively dictates U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, manipulating American interests to serve its own. But the truth, as with most things political and global, isn’t that simple. It’s not one-sided. It’s not one country pulling the strings of the other. It’s a tangled web of mutual dependency, manipulation, and influence — a two-way street that many refuse to admit exists because it complicates their narratives.

There’s a very particular arrogance in assuming that only the United States has power in this dynamic. Yes, the U.S. is the global superpower, with a military that spans the globe, an economy that dictates global trends, and a cultural reach that dominates the world. But to think that Israel doesn’t have its own unique influence — especially over the U.S. itself — is to be blind to the deeper realities of geopolitics. Influence isn’t only about who gives the most money or who has the most troops. Influence also comes from leverage, from relationships, from shared interests, from political optics, and from control over narratives — all areas where Israel plays the game masterfully.

For starters, look at American politics. Israel has become a nearly sacred topic in Washington. It’s not a partisan issue — it’s a bipartisan loyalty test. Republicans and Democrats alike trip over themselves to demonstrate their unwavering support for Israel. Presidents make speeches affirming Israel’s “right to defend itself,” often without acknowledging the underlying complexities of occupation, displacement, or inequality. Congress routinely passes resolutions reaffirming support for Israel, sometimes even preemptively, before Israel itself acts. That kind of political insulation doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s cultivated, protected, and enforced by years of lobbying, media influence, and strategic public relations.

Organizations like AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) have immense sway in Washington. They’re not just another lobby group — they’re one of the most powerful and influential in the country. And while lobbying is a normal part of politics, the scale and intensity of pro-Israel lobbying often dwarf those of other nations. It’s not a conspiracy theory to say that — it’s a measurable reality. It’s also not inherently evil or malicious; every country tries to protect its interests. But it does mean that the idea of Israel being simply “controlled” by the United States ignores the enormous pressure and persuasion Israel and its advocates exert over American policymakers.

That being said, it’s also true that the U.S. does wield significant control over Israel — especially in military and financial terms. Billions of dollars in military aid flow from Washington to Tel Aviv every year, and U.S. weapons form the backbone of Israel’s defense infrastructure. The U.S. provides diplomatic cover in international forums, vetoing countless UN resolutions that criticize Israel’s actions, shielding it from accountability that other nations face. So, yes, the U.S. has power in the relationship — but that power doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Israel knows how to wield American guilt, American politics, and American media in ways that make it nearly impossible for U.S. leaders to act freely.

In fact, one could argue that the control is cyclical. The U.S. empowers Israel, and Israel, in turn, influences the U.S. to maintain that empowerment. It’s a self-sustaining feedback loop. America arms Israel, Israel provides strategic intelligence and regional leverage, and then Israel uses its influence in American media and politics to ensure that flow never stops. Both sides benefit — and both sides are complicit in perpetuating each other’s dominance in the region.

But what’s truly frustrating is how so many people refuse to acknowledge that it’s a mutual relationship. Some leftists, for example, tend to reduce the entire problem to American imperialism — as if Israel is just another pawn in the U.S. empire. They argue that everything Israel does is an extension of U.S. interests, that without American money and protection, Israel wouldn’t survive. While there’s a partial truth to that, it’s only half the story. Israel has its own agenda, its own ambitions, and its own global networks. It’s not simply a U.S. puppet — it’s an active player. And it’s played the game well enough to maintain a special status few other nations enjoy.

Conversely, there are right-wing voices who argue that Israel practically runs Washington — that the U.S. is being manipulated or “controlled” by foreign interests. That argument, however, often slides into antisemitic territory, feeding old conspiracies about Jewish power or “global elites.” It’s a dangerous simplification that mistakes a complex web of political influence for some secret cabal. The reality isn’t that Israel “runs” America. It’s that both countries operate in a symbiotic relationship — sometimes mutually beneficial, sometimes toxic, always intertwined.

The uncomfortable truth is that Israel and the U.S. both exploit each other. Israel uses the U.S. for protection, funding, and legitimacy. The U.S. uses Israel as a foothold in the Middle East, a place to project military power and counter regional adversaries like Iran. It’s a partnership built not on morality or ideology but on cold, pragmatic interests. Both governments know this, and both play their parts. The rhetoric about “shared values” and “democracy in the Middle East” is just the sugar coating that makes the alliance palatable to the public. Underneath, it’s a transactional relationship.

But while many people can accept that realism, far fewer are willing to accept how deep Israel’s influence truly runs in the cultural and psychological sphere. For decades, American media has portrayed Israel as the underdog — a small nation surrounded by enemies, constantly fighting for survival. That narrative has been incredibly effective in shaping public perception. It’s one reason why, even when Israeli policies become indefensible, public opinion in the U.S. remains largely sympathetic. That kind of narrative control isn’t an accident. It’s the product of decades of storytelling, advocacy, and influence at the highest levels of communication.

At the same time, the U.S. exports its own values and culture into Israel. Hollywood, capitalism, technology, and political ideology — all of it seeps into Israeli society. American-style politics dominate, from campaign structures to cultural battles over religion, gender, and rights. The U.S. has helped shape Israel’s identity as a modern, Western-facing democracy — or at least the image of one. And Israel, in turn, has helped the U.S. define what “Western ally” means in a volatile region. Again, it’s mutual shaping, mutual influence.

To deny that Israel has power, or to pretend it’s just a dependent ally, is to ignore the evidence of how global influence actually works. Influence is not measured only in GDP or military size — it’s about perception, narrative, and access. Israel has all three in abundance. It sits at the intersection of religion, history, politics, and emotion. It’s the spiritual homeland of multiple faiths, the center of countless global conflicts, and a touchstone for political identity in the U.S. That gives it enormous soft power. And with soft power often comes real, tangible political leverage.

But the reason many people deny this is because it’s uncomfortable. It challenges the binary narratives people cling to — the idea that one country must be the master, and the other the servant. Admitting mutual control means acknowledging complexity, and complexity doesn’t fit neatly into slogans or hashtags. It also forces people to accept that the U.S.–Israel relationship is not purely ideological. It’s transactional, strategic, and often cynical. And that’s a harder truth to digest than the convenient myth of “one side controlling the other.”

Let’s be clear: acknowledging Israel’s influence does not mean falling into antisemitic tropes or conspiracies. The distinction is crucial. Recognizing influence is not the same as blaming a people or a religion. It’s about recognizing how states operate, how power flows, and how narratives are maintained. If we can discuss American influence over the world without calling it anti-American, we should be able to discuss Israeli influence without crossing into antisemitism. The problem is that public discourse has become so polarized that any nuanced discussion of Israeli power immediately triggers defensive reactions — either accusations of bigotry or denial of reality.

At the end of the day, it’s not about assigning ultimate blame. It’s about understanding that power, especially global power, is rarely one-directional. The United States and Israel are locked in a relationship of convenience, dependence, and shared ambition. Both countries feed off each other politically and strategically. Both manipulate each other when it suits their interests. And both have created a system where it’s nearly impossible to tell where one’s influence ends and the other’s begins.

So when people insist that “the U.S. controls Israel” or “Israel controls the U.S.,” they’re missing the point entirely. Both statements are true — and both are false — depending on the angle you look from. The real truth is that they control each other, in different ways, for different purposes, and to different extents. It’s not a simple hierarchy; it’s a codependency. And that codependency has reshaped the global political landscape for decades.

Refusing to see it for what it is — mutual manipulation and shared dominance — only keeps us blind to how power really functions. It’s not about puppets and puppet masters. It’s about two powerful nations playing an endless game of influence, each keeping the other afloat while steering the world in directions that serve them both. And until people start recognizing that this is a two-way street, they’ll keep missing the deeper truth that defines modern geopolitics: control is never one-sided.