International coverage this week highlighted three developments that reflect shifting attitudes toward Israel, from Washington to Latin America and New York. One Wall Street Journal report said the Israeli army in Lebanon is caught between U.S. pressure to withdraw and domestic demands to keep fighting Hezbollah, a standoff that could endanger the ceasefire arrangement involving the United States and Iran.
According to the Journal, Israeli forces struck the Ali al-Taher ridge twice this week, a position Israel describes as a vast underground Hezbollah stronghold. The attacks drew sharp criticism from Washington, with President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance condemning what they called Israel’s “heavy-handed” approach in Lebanon. The article said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces pressure from allies and rivals to continue the campaign against Hezbollah before autumn elections, while Trump wants the conflict wrapped up before the midterms. A May poll found 57% of Israelis support creating a permanent security zone in Lebanon, even as many are frustrated by the inability to stop drone threats.
The New Arab described a pro-Israel political shift in Colombia, where hard-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella is seen as the likely winner in this week’s election. He has promised to end President Gustavo Petro’s pro-Palestinian policy and restore ties with Israel. Petro cut diplomatic relations with Israel, compared the Israeli military to Nazis early in the Gaza war, expelled Israeli diplomats in October 2025, and signed an order making support for Palestine official government policy. De la Espriella, a 47-year-old lawyer who calls himself “the outsider” and “the tiger,” said Israel is doing what it must “to protect its people,” and that he would do the same for Colombia “at any cost.” The outlet placed his rise in a wider regional rightward trend, citing Javier Milei in Argentina, Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, and José Antonio Kast in Chile.
The New York Times said the Middle East conflict is also deepening divisions inside the U.S. Democratic Party. Brad Lander, a Democrat critical of Israel’s Gaza policy, defeated pro-Israel Representative Dan Goldman in Tuesday’s primary in New York’s 10th congressional district by more than 30 points. Lander, the former city comptroller with deep local roots and ties to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, is now the near-certain Democratic nominee for November. In his victory speech, he said Democrats are “painfully divided” over U.S. relations with Israel and Palestine, and must address it directly.
