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CNN
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to bow to calls for new elections by top U.S. senators and is pushing back against White House warnings about possible new attacks in Gaza, pushing back against Democratic Party leaders in Washington. The rift with the top is widening.
The unusual shift in U.S.-Israel relations in recent days has coincided with intense diplomacy aimed at securing a cease-fire in the Israeli-Hamas war and the release of hostages, as the conflict deepens bitter divisions in U.S. politics. There is. But a gap in trust and goals between Israel and Hamas has hampered hopes for a breakthrough for weeks.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish American in the U.S. government, said a new Israeli government was needed to reset war strategy and that Prime Minister Netanyahu needed a new Israeli government. Three days later, on Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s defiant stance was on display in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash. Obstacles to peace.
“It’s inappropriate to go to a sister democracy and try to replace the elected leadership there. That’s what Israel, the Israeli people, are doing on their own, and we’re not a banana republic.” Prime Minister Netanyahu said this on “State of the Union.”
“The majority of Israelis support my government’s policies. It is not a frontier government. It represents policies supported by a majority of the people. Even if there is, he is not against me. He is against the Israeli people,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said.
Despite the Israeli prime minister’s position, five months after the terrorist attack that tarnished his brand as the country’s ultimate security guarantor, the prime minister’s position remains uncertain among some Israeli voters. At a time of increased vulnerability, criticism of the prime minister’s approach is mounting in the United States and abroad. Thousands of protesters filled the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Saturday night, split into two groups, one demanding the government’s resignation and the other demanding the release of the Gaza hostages.
Despite the terrifying onslaught in Gaza, Hamas is far from defeated. A large number of Israeli hostages remain missing or unaccounted for. The huge Palestinian death toll has hardened much of the outside world against Israel’s actions, and early sympathy after the October 7 terrorist attacks was in vain. And once Hamas is finally defeated, there is no clear plan for how to rebuild and manage Gaza, a place of humanitarian nightmare.
The heated rhetoric between Washington and Jerusalem raises fundamental questions about the future of US-Israel relations. It also highlights the over-politicization of Israel policy in Washington, with Republicans lining up to condemn Schumer and accuse Democratic leaders of disrespecting their wartime allies. Tensions have become even more acute as some Democratic leaders question whether Netanyahu is keen to continue the war to postpone an election that could oust him. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s right to self-defense threatens his coalition ahead of his re-election in November, with progressives and younger voters weighing in on his handling of the war. I’m upset. Biden and Netanyahu are therefore further separated by their respective competing political imperatives.
Recent developments also raise questions about whether Mr. Schumer’s scathing criticism portends a shift by Mr. Biden to further pressure on Mr. Netanyahu. The president welcomed Israel after the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people, but became more critical of Israeli policies during the war that has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. ing. Amid shock over Schumer’s remarks Thursday, Biden praised the New York Democrat’s speech and said many Americans agreed with it. However, he has yet to show similar form.
Despite his obvious dissatisfaction, the president has not taken any concrete steps to exert U.S. influence against Prime Minister Netanyahu. Prime Minister Netanyahu appears to have repeatedly ignored U.S. advice or called for a de-escalation of the war to save civilians. Biden has moved to open new aid routes to Gaza with air drops and temporary port links. However, he has not placed any conditions on the use or provision of US-made weapons to Israel. And the president has made no attempt to appeal to Israelis over Prime Minister Netanyahu’s head, even though he built his popularity in Israel with his initial response to the attack and his wartime visit to the Jewish state. Not yet. Israeli leaders have at times mirrored the United States’ frequent interference in domestic politics.
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that Biden and Netanyahu don’t agree on everything about the war. added to. We will continue to work with the War Cabinet. ”
One area of clear disagreement is the proposed Israeli attack in Rafah, south of Gaza, which Biden has previously warned would cross the U.S.’s “red line”. was somewhat ambiguous. However, there is no doubt that the White House is skeptical of this plan because of the potential for civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian situation is deteriorating. Prime Minister Netanyahu doubled down on his intentions to invade Rafah, vowing on CNN to “annihilate the remaining terrorist battalions of Hamas.”
But Mr Kirby told the ABC: “I will not support such an operation unless and until there is a credible and viable plan to deal with the 1.5 million refugees forced into Rafah.” he said.
Diplomacy seeks a temporary ceasefire in Gaza that would allow for a surge of humanitarian supplies to the devastated enclave and the release of some of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas as repercussions from Schumer’s comments on Thursday continue. It is once again attracting attention.
Hamas official Ghazi Hamad told Al Arabiya on Sunday that the group that rules Gaza has presented a “logical” offer that could lead to a breakthrough in negotiations, but that Israel is not willing to go to war. He said he accused them of trying to prolong the incident. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN on Sunday that Israel was seeking a deal to release 100 hostages in exchange for a six-week cessation of fighting. But his criticism of Hamas underscored the fragility of hopes for a breakthrough. “Hamas’ outlandish demands are making an agreement even more difficult, but we will keep trying because we want the hostages back,” the Israeli leader told CNN.
How political changes in the US and Israel are causing tensions
The growing distrust between the Israeli government and Democratic leaders in Washington can be seen in their differences over how the war should be waged. But it also reflects long-term political changes in both countries.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has moved sharply to the right over his years in power, and his current coalition is the most conservative in Israel’s history, relying on several small ultra-Orthodox parties. Meanwhile, in the United States, the Republican Party has undergone a similar transformation, and there is now considerable ideological synergy between the party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has also shown significant favoritism to Republican leaders, angering Democratic leaders. For example, in 2011 he lectured President Barack Obama on the situation in the Middle East in front of journalists in his Oval Office, infuriating White House staff. He traveled to Washington in 2015 at the invitation of Republicans and attempted to shred the Iran nuclear deal during a speech to Congress. He also aligned himself with former President Donald Trump, resulting in several policy wins, including the relocation of the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Against this backdrop, and considering the frenetic political climate of an election year in the United States, it is not surprising that Republicans would seek to exploit the rift between Democrats and Israel to their own electoral advantage. believes that politics is involved.
Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said on “State of the Union” that Netanyahu’s message was: We appreciate you as our close allies, but we will make our own decisions and do so in accordance with our laws and customs,” said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul. He spoke on FOX. Talk about your differences to avoid destroying democracies. ” The Texas Republican said there is a “split within the Democratic Party” between “pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel” factions and those who support Israel.
The events of the past few days are quite remarkable because Biden and Schumer are among the most pro-Israel politicians in modern American history. But their deep ties to Israel may partly reflect nostalgia for a more moderate political era in the Jewish state, a far cry from Netanyahu’s radicalism. Even a year ago, it would have been hard to believe that the Senate majority leader would call for new elections in Israel. His comments last week demonstrate the extreme political pressure Democratic leaders are under from voters as well as other members of the party. Schumer’s comments raise the stakes in U.S.-Israel relations, as senior Democrats suggest that they no longer believe solid support for Israel includes tacit approval of all policies of the far-right coalition. It’s starting to look like a temporary event.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another longtime friend of Israel, expressed staunch support for Schumer on Sunday and sought to explain the speech. “He loves Israel as much as we do. We support Israel. And the fact that he made this statement should be heard, because of what’s happening in Gaza. “Israel’s reputation is at risk because of this,” the California Democrat said on “State of the Union,” alluding to the looming famine in Gaza that the world is concerned about. Health authorities expressed grave concerns on Sunday.
“Chuck Schumer’s speech was an act of courage and an act of love for Israel. And I want the prime minister to read the entire speech, because he speaks very hard about the need to defeat Hamas. ” Pelosi said. “He is concerned about the weakness of the Palestinian Authority and the very dangerous behavior of the right-wing Israeli government.”
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