The Clinton administration's short-lived "Let's-Get-Tough-With-Israel" scenario, launched in late 1997 and which seemed headed for open showdown as of May 1998, ended within weeks in a total Netanyahu victory. Against the background of Monicagate, the Friends of Bibi (FOBs) in the United States waged a successful counterattack. Several different "spins" on the administration's gamble are advanced, and the implications of the presidential retreat are examined.

Leon T. Hadar is a Washington-based policy analyst and journalist who specializes in international politics and economics.