Back in the 1980s, an Israeli diplomat began to earn fame at home for his swaggering performances on American television. When Israel was criticised, Binyamin Netanyahu was there, fighting his country’s corner in flawless, American-accented English. In the Trump era, that talent for convincing Americans helped Mr Netanyahu, now Israel’s prime minister, achieve his life’s dream: to send his country to war with Iran not as a junior partner, but in lockstep with America.

His triumph is a distant memory. The Iran war has slid into disaster. Israel is being frozen out as the Trump administration negotiates with a battered but unbowed Iranian regime to open the Strait of Hormuz. Israel’s chief concerns, from Iran’s nuclear programme and missile forces to its support for regional proxies, are unresolved.

This week’s Inside Geopolitics considers this rift with America, which comes on top of criticism from other Western governments over Israel’s iron-fisted responses to security threats from Gaza to Lebanon. On Friday morning I sat down with Edward Carr, our deputy editor, Adam Roberts, our foreign editor, and Anshel Pfeffer, our Israel correspondent, to consider just how isolated Israel has become. Is Mr Netanyahu’s homeland becoming a pariah state, as critics insist? Or is this an age of cold realpolitik, in which other governments see Israel as too important to isolate?

Edward is a frequent visitor to Israel; he interviewed Mr Netanyahu in January with Zanny Minton Beddoes, our editor-in-chief. Adam and I recently travelled there to meet political leaders, generals and spooks assembled by Anshel, our superlatively well-connected man in Jerusalem.

This is a head-spinning moment, Anshel explained. Two months ago, Israel’s prime minister touted his closeness to Donald Trump in every interview, and hoped that America’s president would endorse him ahead of elections this autumn. Now Mr Trump is a liability, resented by many Israelis for bringing the Iran war to an inconclusive end.

It’s Shakespearian, Edward suggested. By successfully binding Israel and America together in war, Mr Netanyahu lost his ability to dictate the terms of peace. We discuss, too, how many European leaders deplore Israel’s actions in Iran and Gaza, even if they sympathise with Israel’s shock at the October 7th attacks by Hamas. Powerful neighbours, from Saudi Arabia to Turkey, are showing anger with Israel, dividing the region.

What of those autumn elections? Could a change of prime minister transform Israel’s standing? Or is Israel doomed to be all alone? There, the panel sees reasons for both hope and gloom. To see where my colleagues and I end up, please tune in. It will be available to watch from 6pm London time (1pm in New York) on Tuesday. And please continue to send your feedback—and ideas for interviewees—to insidegeopolitics@economist.com.