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Inviting Netanyahu to Congress Isn’t ‘Pro-Israel’
In a few days, when Prime Minister Netanyahu takes the podium in Congress, we can expect him to do what he has done before: Use the platform to bolster his political standing in Israel while driving a wedge into his political opponents in the United States.
In 2015 – in the middle of a feud with President Obama over efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement with Iran to stop their nuclear weapons program – Netanyahu took to the stage to needle Obama, split Democratic support for his diplomacy, and rally hawkish Republicans against it. His election campaign in Israel even cut a political ad with the footage.
Nine years later, with Biden and Netanyahu divided over the Gaza war and the urgency of a hostage deal, we can expect a similar play. Rather than rally bipartisan support, Netanyahu will once again seek to drive a wedge into the Democratic party and try to undermine President Biden himself.
He will do so at the invitation of four individuals: Two Republicans—Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell—and two Democrats—Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Leader in the House Hakeem Jeffries.
The reasons Republicans invited Netanyahu are clear. His Congressional address is about political point-scoring: Netanyahu gets a boost in Israel while it generates another headache for Democrats and deals a blow to President Biden’s re-election campaign.
But why would Democrats cooperate? The answer lies in the phrase “pro-Israel” –which continues to be interpreted by too many as “all-or-nothing” support for the Israeli government, rather than a statement of solidarity with the Israeli people and the country’s right to exist.
This “all-or-nothing” demand is then made of lawmakers, at the expense of a nuanced and deeper understanding of what it means to support Israel’s safety, democracy and the values at the heart of the US-Israel relationship.
In this moment, when the majority of Israelis oppose the the far-right Netanyahu government, it has led too many political leaders – as well as many American Jews and Jewish institutions – to become disconnected from Israelis, ironically in the name of being pro-Israel.
The question that Democratic leaders should ask themselves is whether Netanyahu’s invitation is really a pro-Israeli move.
Today, Netanyahu heads the most extreme Israeli government ever. A government that legitimized fascist Jewish supremacy and settler violence by entrusting Meir Kahane’s ideological successor, Itamar Ben-Gvir, with the responsibility for national security.
A government whose finance minister is doing everything in his power to dismantle moderate Palestinian leaders – who Israel relies upon to keep the peace in the West Bank – by trying to bring about the Palestinian Authority’s economic, social, and political bankruptcy.
A government whose minister of justice is trying with all his might to weaken the justice system to undermine minority protections and greenlight annexation in the West Bank.
A government led by a dictator-in-the-making for whom it seems the supreme value is staying in power and delaying multiple corruption proceedings against him. There’s apparently no price he won’t pay for it.
There are moments in a country’s life when strengthening the leadership weakens the citizens, moments in which the government’s actions go outside the realm of legitimacy.
As a former diplomatic representative of the State of Israel, it pains me to say that Israel is now at that point. We, the citizens, have internalized it. We see this in the low approval rate for the government, in the demonstrations against it, and very regrettably in those who have given up and are emigrating from here.
The time has come for foreign leaders to realize this too, and act accordingly. They must remember that supporting Israel means supporting its citizens and our founding values of justice, equality, democracy and peace – not Netanyahu, who seems bent on undermining those same values.
While Netanyahu’s government was indeed elected in free and fair elections, it is now working on various levels to make sure that these will be the last free and fair elections. They seek to carry out a legal, administrative and media coup that will render their rule perpetual.
The world has learnt in the past and present to embrace and strengthen the power of opponents of undemocratic regimes – Poland’s Lech Wałęsa, South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, Russia’s Alexei Navalny, and many others. Clearly, the support for all those leaders was pro-Polish, pro-South African and pro-Russian, respectively.
At this moment, supporting the families of the hostages, the protesters in the streets and the politicians who stand with them is the proper pro-Israel act.
When a government stops working for its citizens, supporting it does not help the country but damages the state and its citizens. Pro-Israel leaders in America must realize that Netanyahu does not represent the interests of the State of Israel. Rather, the true representatives are those who are fighting against him and against his desire to sell the country for his political survival.
There’s Einav Tsengauker, for example, a passionate advocate for her son Matan who was abducted on October 7. There’s Professor Shikma Bressler, an Israeli physicist and mother of five who is a leading voice of the Israeli protest movement. There’s Lucy Aharish, a proud Israeli-Arab media figure and advocate for media freedom. There’s Yair Golan, former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff and newly elected Labor leader who has pledged to unify the Israeli left.
I would much rather see them invited to address Congress and the American people, rather than a bunch of state destroyers who are still clinging to power, even after they have lost the trust of the people.
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