(First published at Israelnationalnews.com)
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s critics and haters are outraged that he is planning on visiting Washington DC next week and addressing Congress; then again, they are outraged when he wakes up every morning and when he goes to sleep at night. They claim that he is going for personal reasons, to improve his political standing, and to distract from his failures.
There are cogent reasons why he should go; nevertheless, it is a bad idea at an inopportune and will not yield any positives for Israel.
Certainly, there is a political benefit. Most Israelis will welcome the PM being cordially greeted by members of Congress. Pundits focus on the factoid that with his fourth speech before Congress, Netanyahu will exceed Winston Churchill’s record of the most congressional addresses ever delivered by one foreign leader, but who really cares about this record, aside from the pundit class? The average citizen does not care. There is an Israeli interest in shoring up Congressional support (that does not necessarily require a prime ministerial visit) and ensuring the steady provision of weapons already promised, contracted for, and voted on by Congress but which the Biden administration has admittedly slowed. Nevertheless, all this comes at a price.
The Netanyahu visit to Washington will attract the usual assortment of crazies, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish haters, some of them even claiming to be Jews. The media will duly report on the protests and give free publicity to the haters. Many Democrats in Congress will boycott Netanyahu’s speech, as they have done for the last two speeches, simply because they dislike him and his policies, and are less than supportive of Israel. How the oleaginous Chuck Schumer masks his contempt for Netanyahu behind his phony smiles would be intriguing to see, but it is not worth the trip. What is worse is that PM Netanyahu would fly to a United States that is a tinderbox, already on edge even before the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
In a polarized America, Israel has become another wedge issue, mainly dividing Democrats against themselves. But Netanyahu will be forced to parrot the old cliché that Israel enjoys bipartisan support, which is partly true and these days partly false. The Republicans overwhelmingly support Israel, in our war against Hamas, the conflict with Iran, and the Jewish national story. Democrats, by and large, do not, with Democratic congressional support for Israel far exceeding Israel’s support among the Democrat rank and file.
More egregiously, the White House meeting with Joe Biden does not bode well for Israel. Biden, in any event, is a spent force, barely functioning, desperately clinging to ever-diminishing moments of clear-headedness even as his party shows every sign of abandoning him as their nominee. Visiting Biden at this time is not just a bad look politically; it is almost an invitation to American pressure, which Netanyahu, defying his historic pattern, has mostly (though not completely) been able to deflect in the recent conflict. A visit now will almost guarantee a cease fire before Hamas is destroyed and a hostage deal that frees hundreds of terrorist murderers to again plague our cities and citizens. With Hamas near defeat, such a deal will only resuscitate this band of butchers and earn them plaudits from the Arab street instead of the ignominy they deserve. It will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
But perhaps the most troubling aspect of a Netanyahu visit now involves necessarily wading into the volatile American presidential campaign. Consider that in his planned Congressional address, Netanyahu will have to thank Biden for his assistance, make an obligatory mention of his trip to Israel at the start of the war, and downplay Biden’s insults, heavy handedness, criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war, and the shenanigans with the weapons deliveries.
It should be obvious to all that any praise of Biden will offend Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized Biden for his tepid support of Israel, even blaming Biden’s weakness and disrespect on the international scene for Hamas’ attack. Praising Biden – which is the polite thing to do – undercuts an important part of Trump’s appeal to Jews. If nothing else, Trump has a long memory and will not forget this. And it also emboldens Biden in his attacks on Israel as Netanyahu’s tribute will give Biden cover for future recriminations. What benefit is there to Israel for Netanyahu to sit with Biden to hear about the panacea of the two-state delusion? Or for Netanyahu to listen to Biden opine for the umpteenth time that Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon on Biden’s watch? None that I can see, and Biden has never ruled out Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon the day after his watch ends, which might even be in several weeks’ time. And to think that the US will take military action to thwart an Iranian bomb is a fool’s errand, and we have been down that rabbit hole for well over a decade.
Conversely, Netanyahu should (and would) praise Trump for all he did for Israel as president – moving the embassy to Jerusalem and formally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and negotiating the Abraham Accords which transformed the Middle East in ways that were unimaginable pre-Trump. But Netanyahu’s celebration of Trump’s support for Israel will enrage Biden. Trump has been outspoken that Israel should “finish the job,” meaning defeat Hamas, whatever it takes; Israel would never hear Trump grumbling about loss of enemy civilian life, for which concern Israel has paid a heavy price in dead soldiers and prolonged the war.
Indeed, saying anything nice about either person infuriates half of the American populace. Is there a way to thread the needle – to say something that will be perceived as gracious to both men without offending either man or his supporters? I don’t see how.
It is a mistake to go now. Nothing will be gained and much can be lost. If the point is to demonstrate that the United States-Israel relationship is strong, that sounds great but is unnecessary. If it were that strong, it would neither need constant stroking nor an untimely visit.
Perhaps the turmoil in the United States will force a postponement. It should be inconceivable that Netanyahu visit the US and not meet with Donald Trump. As I recall, during Biden’s visit to Israel, he did meet with Israel’s opposition leaders. But in the current environment, such would not be appreciated by Biden, as a snub would not be appreciated by Trump.
It is a maelstrom in the United States. Mr. Prime Minister, don’t go. Wait until after the US elections. Otherwise, there is a greater possibility that relations will be harmed than that they will be improved. Maintain the tie with Churchill another few months and visit DC when Israel can gain tangible strategic benefits from an address to Congress and a pop-in at the White House.
No comments:
Post a Comment