Mr. Netanyahu Goes to Washington

It’s that time of year again. Now, once more, the Prime Minister of Israel is planning yet another visit to the United States. But this visit is the first, and currently the only visit that has faced political backlash from both American and Israeli officials.

Many American officials see it as an attempt by Speaker Boehner to take revenge on President Obama for threatening to veto bipartisan Iran sanctions legislation. Many Israeli officials see it as a re-election campaign stunt for the Prime Minister, who will be running for another term just two weeks later.

I, however, reject both these claims. The relationship between Israel and the United States is stronger than ever and has reached unprecedented levels of cooperation on many fronts. We share common interests and shared values of democracy, freedoms of speech and religion, and are both committed to achieving global stability.

Given these facts, I feel very strongly that anyone claiming to support relationship between the United States and Israel should support the Prime Minister of Israel’s decision to visit the United States.

Make no mistake, I do not rule out the possibility that this visit was triggered by political motives. But at the end of the day, who cares how this visit came to be? Why should that matter?

Rather, this visit is a clear demonstration of a healthy everlasting relationship between two very close allies. Therefore, it should not be too much to ask of the people of both countries to kindly respect this visit in a positive manner.