When Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat in Washington, called Israel a “racist state” on Saturday, White House officials were quick to proclaim America’s “iron” relationship. with a Middle Eastern ally and made it clear that President Biden opposed her remarks.
But when Mr. Biden appeared on CNN in an interview a few days earlier, he declared some members of the current Israeli government to be the “most radical people” he had seen in nearly four decades, an impressive assessment of the ally itself.
Since taking office, Mr. Biden has struggled to navigate through one of the most complicated periods of diplomatic tension between the United States and Israel, often by clearly moving away from voices at extremes. His effort has become even more difficult in recent days as he finds himself at a crossroads between Republicans, members of his own party, and the status quo. Stability is on the rise in Israel.
On Tuesday, Mr. Biden sought to showcase the still-tethering relationship between the two governments by holding a meeting in the Oval Office for Isaac Herzog, whose role as president is largely ceremonial. of Israel.
“Welcome back – nice to have you here,” Biden told Herzog, noting that Israel is celebrating its 75th anniversary. He gave Mr Herzog a punch and called the relationship between the US and Israel “simply unbreakable.”
No one remembers that Mr. Biden did not give the same warm hug to Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s hardline prime minister who returned to power in December. In a striking example of balancing act Presidential diplomacy, Mr. Biden ended months of hard-arming with Mr. Netanyahu on Monday and invited him to meet face-to-face in the United States sometime before the end of the year.
But even that gesture was designed to create a sort of intermediary for Mr. Biden to seize: His aides flatly declined to say whether the prime minister would be held at the White House or at a less-frequented location. more politically attractive to Mr. Netanyahu.
Alon Pinkas, Israel’s former consul general in New York, said Mr Biden had found an effective way to quell criticism from Republicans that he had yet to invite Mr. Netanyahu while still snubbing him.
“You can quell this by simply making a phone call, giving him a thought on the constitutional issue and the Palestinian issue, listening to any of his complaints about the Palestinians,” Mr. Pinkas said. Iran policy, and then not even committing to a visit.” . “You know, if he questioned the visit, you would say, ‘Yeah, we’ll see each other in the future.’ Maybe at the General Assembly in New York in September, maybe when and where nobody knows.’”
At the same time, the US president is wary of deepening hostility towards the Israeli government from some members of his party, which risks undermining the decades-old strategic and military alliance in Israel. an important and increasingly unstable region of the world.
Aaron David Miller, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said: “Biden simply cannot afford to have the entire Democratic Party painted with brutal, overt, and oppressed hostility. regarded as the fundamental enemy of Israel.
He added that Mr. Biden did not want to follow the example of former President Donald J. Trump, who had always supported Mr. Netanyahu until the discord between the two leaders at the end of his presidency.
“He knows it’s bad for the interests of the United States,” Miller said of Biden’s move his administration too close to the prime minister. “He also knows it’s not good for his credibility.”
Mr. Biden is not the first president to have difficulty managing the relationship with Israel. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have both clashed with Israeli leaders, and former President Barack Obama has had years of cold confrontations with Netanyahu as the two clashed over settlements and politics. Iranian books.
But very few presidents are forced to deal with so many things that come at once.
Ms. Jayapal’s comments, she later apologized and that led to a House resolution in favor of Israelhighlighted political pressure on Biden from a small group of his party to hold Israel accountable for what those members see as crimes against Palestinians.
However, Republicans – including Mr Trump, the frontrunner to become his party’s presidential nominee in 2024 – have stepped up their criticism of Mr Biden and the administration for not supporting Israel. and Mr. Netanyahu. Mr. Biden’s refusal to invite Mr. Netanyahu to the United States was an important point of discussion for Mr. Biden’s opponents.
In Israel, traditional disagreements over settlements and Iran have been joined by protests against Mr. Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the justice system. The fierce debate has drawn Biden into a domestic controversy over fundamental questions about the democratic values and ideals that have been at the heart of the alliance between the two countries for decades.
Sophisticated manipulation has taken place as Biden’s foreign policy team shifts focus.
The war in Ukraine has been a top national security focus for Mr Biden for the past 18 months as he seeks to rally Europe and other countries to protest Russia’s brutal invasion of its neighbour. His administration has also refocused attention on the military and economic threat to the United States and its allies from China.
“The focus of US foreign policy has really changed after the war in Ukraine,” said Dore Gold, Israel’s former permanent representative to the United Nations and a former adviser to Mr.
“I think that’s where the president is focusing: forming an alliance” to support Ukraine and Eastern Europe “and reforming NATO to deal with the challenges facing the United States today,” Gold said. now”.
Israel remains a central US ally in the Middle East and a recipient of billions of dollars in aid each year. During Herzog’s visit on Tuesday, White House officials said Biden highlighted areas of cooperation, including progress toward normalizing relations with other Middle Eastern countries and diplomatic efforts with the Palestinians. .
Some supporters in the US consider Mr. Herzog, who ran against Mr. Netanyahu almost a decade agoBecoming a bridge builder in an attempt to find a middle ground in Israel’s fraught political climate is a welcome change from some of the more radical elements of the Israeli government. .
But even before Tuesday, his visit had generated controversy. Some Liberal lawmakers said they would boycott Mr. Herzog’s expected speech to Parliament on Wednesday in protest of Mr. Netanyahu’s government. Nine Democrats voted Tuesday against a House resolution saying Israel is not a racist country.
White House officials have previously said that Biden plans to raise his concerns about the Israeli government’s expansion of settlements, which his administration sees as an obstacle to a two-state solution. finally, with a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Officials said Biden will also express to Herzog his displeasure with Netanyahu’s efforts to make changes to the justice system that critics say would undermine his authority authority of the Supreme Court of Israel.
In a short comment to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Herzog confirmed that the two leaders discussed many issues. Mr. Herzog acknowledged what he called “internal problems in Israel,” referring to Netanyahu’s proposed judicial change.
“I reiterate my commitment, as I have said before: Israeli democracy is strong and resilient,” Herzog said. “And we should certainly view the current debate in Israel – in all its aspects – as a tribute to the strength of Israeli democracy.”
Michael D. Cut reports from Washington, and Patrick Kingsley from Jerusalem.
