Embracing Herzog, ignoring Netanyahu: President Isaac Herzog will land next Tuesday in Washington, against the backdrop of the deepening crisis between Israel and the United States. A Likud minister said Wednesday in a closed conversation what many in the Israeli government think and are not saying openly: "The American administration is behaving in an unfair and humiliating way toward Netanyahu. It is an embarrassment to Netanyahu's honor to beg for a meeting. It is definitely a difficult and problematic event."
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Other ministers in the government have said that the attitude of the Biden administration toward Israel is even more severe than the Obama administration was. There are even ministers who claim that Herzog should have declined the invitation to the White House in light of the treatment of Netanyahu. Those around Herzog said in response that the visit was coordinated with Netanyahu.
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Tension in the relationship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden
(Photos: AP, Amit Shabi)
A few hours after landing in Washington, Herzog will arrive at the White House for a meeting with US President Joe Biden. Later, he will meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The next day he will deliver a ceremonial speech to both houses of Congress.
Muslim members of Congress, Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., announced that they would not attend Herzog's speech.
"The speech of the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, comes on behalf of the most right-wing government in Israel's history, at a time when the government openly promises to 'crush' Palestinian hopes for a state - and in fact puts a nail in the coffin of peace and the two-state solution," Omar said.
3. WHITE HOUSE: NO FORMAL ‘REASSESSMENT’ OF US-ISRAEL TIES
Biden plans to give Herzog a warm visit and one that creates a differentiation between the people of Israel, whom he loves and appreciates, and between the government and the prime minister, whom he loves less. Or as Biden explained in an interview with CNN: "This is the most extreme government since Golda Meir."
Herzog's invitation to Washington, for the second time in less than a year, is a form of defiance toward Netanyahu, who has not received an invitation since reassuming the premiership seven months ago – an unprecedented period of time for inviting a prime minister to visit after forming his government and certainly when burning issues such as Iran, the Palestinians and the tensions in Lebanon are on the table.
A week ahead of Herzog's departure to the United States, veteran journalist Thomas Friedman on Wednesday published an article in his column in the New York Times in which he said that Biden has begun a "reevaluation" of the US relationship with Israel. The threat is not new. It was used for the first time against Israel between 1974 and 1975. At that time, Israel-US relations cooled due to American anger over Yitzhak Rabin's refusal to comply with US demands in negotiations for the interim agreement between Israel and Egypt after the Yom Kippur War. The person who then initiated the reassessment was then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The reassessment at that time included the freezing of guaranteed arms packages to Israel.
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President Isaac Herzog 's invitation to the White House is is a form of defiance toward Netanyahu
(צילום: עמוס בן גרשום, לע"מ)
Over the years, American administrations have reevaluated the policy toward Israel, such as in March 2015 when President Barack Obama told Netanyahu that the US would reevaluate its options after he came out against the establishment of a Palestinian state during the election campaign, and also spoke out against the Arabs of Israel – warning that "the Arabs are flocking to the polls" on election day. Even earlier, the Reagan administration carried out a reassessment against the Begin government, the Bush Sr. administration against the Shamir government, and the Bush Jr. administration against the Barak and Sharon governments.
Assuming that the Biden government has indeed begun a reexamination of the relationship –what does this actually mean? There is no clear answer. Also, according to the Friedman column, there is no re-examination of the security and intelligence support provided to Israel. It is true that the Obama administration prevented Israel from arming itself during Operation Protective Edge, but in view of Biden's true friendship toward Israel, it is doubtful whether Israel's qualitative military advantage will be harmed. Friedman alludes to damage to the US's political support and support for Israel. Perhaps the meaning is that the US will not veto anti-Israel resolutions in the Security Council and international organizations, or perhaps it will not restrain the International Criminal Court in The Hague from investigating Israel.
Friedman is considered one of the most important journalists in the world. Many times, he says what he hears from Biden. Senior officials in Israel estimate that what Friedman wrote is an accurate expression of the state of mind in the White House and the State Department. "He doesn't write the things on his own and they reflect deep perceptions. There is a very deep crisis in Israel-US relations. All this bodes ill. There are many things here that do not work in our favor," an official noted.
On Wednesday night the White House officially responded to the column and claimed that "there are no talks about re-evaluating relations with Israel." Senior American officials close to Biden also deny that there has been a decision to re-examine the relationship, saying: "Relax. Friedman is a writer of articles. Everyone needs to take a deep breath. In the CNN interview, President Biden directed his words to Smotrich and Ben-Gvir and not to Netanyahu."
A senior political official said Wednesday night in an official response: "We are not aware of a decision on a 'reevaluation' by the American administration, but in any case this is not a new phenomenon." The senior political official added: "Despite these periodic 're-evaluations' and disagreements over the years, relations between Israel and the US have tightened for decades and reached an all-time high of security cooperation under the leadership of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Prime Minister Netanyahu will make sure that this trend continues."
Herzog spoke last night at the 7th Brigade rally to mark the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, and said: "We are polarized, we are divided. We must do something. Relations between us are escalating, and we all understand the danger inherent in this. We must hear all opinions, and listen to all voices. We must stop the hatred."
Referring to his visit to the US, Herzog said that "Israel and the United States are solid democracies and first-class strategic partners. We are allowed to argue. These are difficult arguments. But the alliance between Israel and the US is stronger than ever. Whoever tests us will find us determined, united and strong."
Against the backdrop of the political crisis, former US President Donald Trump mocked Netanyahu this week over the differences between Israel and Democratic Biden administration, and the fact that Biden has refused to invite the prime minister to the White House. Trump, who spoke in front of Orthodox Jewish leaders in New Jersey on Monday, complained about that the fact that Netanyahu congratulated Biden on his victory in the 2020 presidential election, which Trump has already expressed great anger about, and continued to levy false claims that the election results had been falsified.