Netanyahu must rely on bipartisan American support, for Israel's sake - opinion

During my years at the Foreign Ministry, including when I worked at Israel’s Embassy in Washington, we operated according to an unbreakable rule – everything was always done in pairs. To ensure ongoing results and goodwill, we dealt equally with Democrats and Republicans, Senate and House, Congress and administration.

However, it appears that Netanyahu’s Israel has given up on this concept and relies primarily on Republicans. 

Whoever understands the importance of the relationship between the countries realizes how damaging this is – I refer to the most senior Jewish elected official in America’s history, Senate Majority Leader Charles “Chuck” Schumer.

Soon after his March 14 address to the Senate criticizing Netanyahu and calling for elections in Israel, Schumer made two apparently contradictory statements. Hearing that the Republican leader of the House of Representatives may invite Israel’s prime minister to address Congress, Schumer said that he would support the move. But when he was approached to arrange a virtual meeting for Democratic senators with Netanyahu, as he had had with their Republican colleagues, he declined.

Wait, so is he in favor of Netanyahu making his voice heard in Congress, or is he not? A spokesman explained that the Senator “does not think that these discussions should happen in a partisan manner. That’s not helpful to Israel.” What then is the importance of bipartisanship, even when polls indicate that there is greater support for Israel among Republicans?

First, an Israeli-Republican alliance implies rejection of our Jewish brethren, who are the first to stand with us in times of trouble, and most of whom support Democrats. Of 37 Jewish legislators currently in Congress, only three are not Democrats. Also, some Republican support is based on evangelism, which strives for the conversion of Jews and the Second Coming, a problem in itself.

Moreover, there are issues that are identified with Democrats and others with Republicans. As polarization in America increases, Israel has remained in the consensus, a pleasant and useful situation for a country that heads the list of aid recipients and requires America’s diplomatic support at the UN and in establishing relations with other countries, as well as in missile defense, emergency supplies in times of crisis, and more.

Finally, bipartisan support is essential for practical considerations, and readers who are familiar with the American system will hopefully forgive me for a paragraph explaining the method of electing and legislating there.

Each law undergoes a separate process in both the Senate and House of Representatives, who then agree on a joint version, brought to the president to sign (or veto, rarely). Presidential elections take place every four years. One hundred senators, two from each state, are chosen for six years, and a third are up for reelection every two years. All 435 Representatives in the House are chosen every two years.

As a result, in the majority of two-year cycles, one of the three (White House, Senate, House of Representatives) changes hands, and the balance of power between them alters. What goes up must come down, and vice-versa, and it is therefore wise to maintain good relations at all times with all the players.

Netanyahu's history with Republicans

IN 2015, when both the House and Senate had a Republican majority and Netanyahu spoke to a joint session of Congress while circumventing the Democratic administration and surprising it, he acted against this principle.

Shortly after Schumer’s aforementioned speech, Netanyahu approached two Republican players – the House Speaker and the Republican Minority in the Senate – and continued along that path. In a highly competitive election year, it suits Republicans to have the prime minister of Israel pit them against the administration and their Democratic rivals, similar to his “divide and rule” methods which are familiar to us here in Israel.

Trusting that Biden’s Democratic administration will not desert us, Netanyahu and others who speak for him express disregard and disrespect towards the US president. But woe unto us if we have to stand behind statements, meant for internal consumption, such as that we can manage without America, for instance regarding Rafah. Which superpower or group of countries do we expect to replace it?

Friends of Israel, among them Senator Schumer, understand that is it vital for Israel to remain in consensus. They worry about existential consequences should it become a subject of disagreement between the parties in America, and they act to ensure that support remains continuous. 

So no, there is no contradiction between Schumer’s willingness to host a joint session of Congress, and his refusal to cooperate with an effort made in Jerusalem to meddle in a Washington power play.

The writer was Israel’s first ambassador to the Baltic states after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, ambassador to South Africa, and congressional liaison officer at the embassy in Washington. She is a graduate of Israel’s National Defense College.