Has something like this happened before? I'm not a fan of those two but this is unusual.
I know the roots of it though. Israel is freaked out by the BDS movement. The same tactic was used against S. Africa with much success and my feeling is they're trying to head this off before it gains momentum.
And the military dimension is obvious.
The US military is facing three huge geo-political issues.
1. We must tilt toward a rising China.
2. Most see Russia as a threat that must be defended against.
3. The American people are tired of the Middle East and after almost 20 years of continuous war in the region I can't blame them.
And we can't forget the huge financial issue that is coming down the tracks.
* The fiscal trainwreck is real. Budget cuts are coming and prioritization must take place.
Long story short?
Israel fears it could be standing alone against Iran, Hezbollah, the PLO, and Syria all backed up by Russian aid/tech.
What's next? The public relations battle. These two (along with two others) have been a pain in the behind for the Democrat party. The party will seek to rally around and defend them. They'll be aided by the MSM. But if you read the Ambassador's letter you'll see that its not as simple as its being portrayed. How will the American people see this? Will they even be alarmed or notice? Or will they simply deem it as politics unworthy of outrage.
