The increasing divide between the US and Israel on Israel’s conduct of the war is “a very normal result of a long US tolerance for Israel’s policies, eliminating any prospect of peace with the Palestinians”, Tamer Qarmout, assistant professor of public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera.

“The US for decades has accommodated Israel, protected Israel, shielded Israel … Israel feels it has an immunity to keep going with its occupation. That’s the real problem here,” he said.

“The result is that because of this long-term indulgence, you have a rebellious Israeli government that is in direct confrontation with the US now. They have a clear rift now … they don’t have a shared vision over the peace process any more,” he added.