Bibi, your best came a little too late - opinion

There have been numerous reactions to the speech that Benjamin Netanyahu gave before a joint session of the Senate and Congress last week.

There is the adulation from his supporters who claim that he presented the case for Israel in a superlative manner reminiscent of what some would say was Bibi at his best.

Then there are the anti-Bibi critics who point to his minimal focus on the plight of the hostages. Indeed, their forlorn hope was that he would announce that there was a deal for their return.

Other commentators searched for nuances and messages that Bibi sought to convey. Mention was made of his references to an Israel-Saudi alliance in tandem with the US and his request to speed up the delivery of armaments.

Cynics were gleefully pointing out the absence of over 100 members of the Democratic Party whilst supporters were in raptures over the abundant clapping and cheering that he evinced throughout his speech.

I confess to struggling to see what was achieved. The speech was Bibi at his best. Those who criticize Bibi will do so no matter what he says or does.

However, viewing the speech from the comfort of my home in front of the television, I felt I was watching a performance that was akin to a Trump rally where the audience was being entertained by a consummate performer who was preaching to the converted, with the notable exception of some Democrats such as Congressman Gerry Nadler and Congresswoman Rashid Tlaib.

Whatever one wishes to derive from Bibi’s speech is secondary. To me the greater significance is not his appearance and what he had to say. It was the fact that he traveled to the United States and was scheduled to meet with President Biden and Vice President Harris as well as the Republican candidate and former President, Donald Trump.

Moreover, he will have scheduled other meetings with key members of the Senate and Congress. In light of the backlash that Israel is experiencing from every corner of the globe to the war in Gaza, coupled with the ongoing threats posed by Iran and its proxies, it was incumbent on Bibi to have been in the US to forcefully present its case to Israel’s closest ally and perhaps sole defender of its just cause.

Indeed, the tragic deaths resulting from the bombing of the Druze village of Majdal Shams by Hezbollah highlight the need to work closely in tandem with the US. The same applies to the issue of providing aid, determining the future in Gaza, and the threat posed by the Houthis.

There have been clear divisions between Israel and the US administration that could have been better handled had Bibi come to the US. It sends a different message to the sight of US officials dropping into Israel intermittently to lecture the Israeli government on how to conduct the war.

Israel has been abandoned by the Europeans, and with the addition of the UK and Australia, which are now governed by parties that are either indifferent or hostile to it, the US remains its sole significant supporter. Moreover, the need to engage with the US is all the more necessary as the Democratic Party is shifting away from the traditional bi-partisan support that Israel was accustomed to.

The importance of advocating for Israel

Having emasculated the foreign ministry and failed to invest in hasbara, the least Bibi Netanyahu could have done is visit the US on a regular basis and assume the hasbara role that he has successfully done in the past. He should not have waited for the invitation to address the Senate and Congress. He should have been in the US months ago and come back again and again.  

When Israel was on trial at the International Court of Justice, Bibi should have presented Israel’s case in person in the US where he had a more sympathetic audience. With an arrest warrant hanging over his head, what better response than to jump on a plane to the US, stand by key American leaders, and condemn this outrage?

Instead of sending delegation after delegation to meet with US officials over the conduct of the war and whether or not to go into Rafah, he should have traveled in person. He would have been given the platform and audience to present the case well before Israel actually entered Rafah.

He could have communicated his concerns regarding the non-delivery of armaments in person rather than airing his grievances in public.

The need to engage with American decision-makers and to continually nurture and maintain good relations with them is of vital importance. Sadly, it is a skill set that few in Israel’s leadership possess but one in which Bibi Netanyahu excels.

Romy Leibler is a former prominent business and communal leader in Australia now residing in Jerusalem, Israel.