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While Mitt Romney's reception in London this summer was hardly enthusiastic, on his next stop in Israel, he was accorded a head of state's welcome. And that included an intimate dinner with Prime Minister Netanyahu, each accompanied by his wife.

To date, Netanyahu's forceful policy on Iran has not harmed his popularity with Israeli voters. At the same time, successive polls indicate that the majority of Israelis do not support a military strike against the administration's wishes. While the differences between Jerusalem and Washington have been widely reported, Israelis do not fear for now that the relationship is in any way at risk. An open rift could be a potential game-changer.

It won't happen, of course, if Romney wins in two weeks: a Republican win could ...