It is common for foreign governments to lobby U.S. lawmakers on a wide range of issues. But administration and congressional officials said the Israeli effort, and its partisan nature, went far beyond the norm.

“What you’re seeing with the Israelis, with the way they have inserted themselves into the debate publicly, is without parallel,” said Daniel Harsha, a veteran Democratic House national security staff member now at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

“I’ve never seen such an effort, almost in broad daylight, to involve ourselves in internal American politics, to work on the ground to try to effect a political outcome,” said Ephraim Halevy, who served as director of Israel’s spy service, the Mossad, from 1998 to 2002. Added Meir Dagan, who succeeded Mr. Halevy: “Friendly countries are not supposed to do this to each other."

Mr. Netanyahu could try to “reset” the relationship after the vote, a position that the White House could embrace, at least publicly, a senior U.S. official said. But, the official said, “the damage is done.”

“They’ve broken all the rules. People are angry,” a senior administration official said.

Many Democratic lawmakers also resented the partisanship of the Israeli campaign for putting them in the difficult political position of having to choose “who do you love more,” a senior congressional aide said.