Among senior and veteran ambassadors and diplomats at the UN headquarters in New York, there is a common concept: You don't quarrel with America. Even if you are on the right side, you are the loser in the end. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously served as Israel's ambassador to the United Nations but does not seem to remember this important expression. Though even if he does have the phrase in mind, it does not affect his decisions or actions. Conflict with the US is, of course, unpleasant, but not so dire. It is always possible to reconcile. Various countries' experiences in their relations with Washington, as manifested in the UN headquarters in New York, prove this.
The trouble is that Netanyahu's confrontational behavior towards US President Joe Biden causes a temporary relationship breakdown. The spiteful statements, the defiant statements, and, worst of all, the policy that the prime minister enforces will eventually cause an irreversible fracture in the relations between Israel and the US. According to estimates from senior diplomats in New York and veteran commentators in Washington, the damage is already done.
Jewish leaders in the New York community also share this assessment. "Netanyahu's response to President Biden's criticism is a colossal error and has the power to cause a catastrophe for Israel," said Eric Yoffie, the president emeritus of the Union for Reform Judaism, who is active and involved in New York community life, in a conversation with Maariv.
Disdain, demonstrable light-heartedness, and personal arrogance in relations with the White House are Netanyahu's specialties, especially when the occupant of the White House is a democratic president. This is not an exaggeration. Netanyahu gave a speech in 2016 as prime minister at a joint session of both houses of Congress in Washington, yards away from the White House. Both countries remember the speech on the topic of the Iran nuclear deal as a speech that sabotaged a long-standing tradition of bipartisan support for Israel. It was a defiant speech that mocked president Barack Obama's policies and is still considered an offense that turned support for Israel from an accepted tradition from both parties into a political issue dependent on partisan considerations. Further, Netanyahu caused irreparable damage to his relationship with Obama.
The war that Israel is waging against Hamas in response to the attack of October 7 aroused the unqualified support of the White House, which was reflected in military aid on an unusual scale. The war has been going on for about six months and has no end in sight. It has caused a shift in the political policy of the United States as far as the Middle East is concerned. President Biden has controversial views on Israel's actions, but Netanyahu certainly has the right and the duty to respond to the brutal attack on his country. Despite this, action must be taken by the IDF with respect, modesty, and consideration for the position of the president of the United States. Instead, Netanyahu's responses revealed disdain and dismissal of Biden.
Netanyahu's potential downfall may come from members of his own coalition
The truth is that Netanyahu is being held captive by members of his government such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. President Biden understood the reality of Israel and its damaged position on the world stage. Israel, as a country, is not isolated, not slandered, and not a leper. Those who are isolated, slandered, and lepers are Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, Yariv Levin, Dudi Amsalem, and their colleagues. It is the Israeli government that has deteriorated to the point of humiliation to a fault and has turned away friendly countries.
This saddens and upsets President Biden. The declarative separation he recently made between Netanyahu, the government, and the people of Israel reveals his real concern for Israel's position and his deep recognition of its importance as a bastion of democracy and stability in the Middle East. He understands that most of Israel's citizens do not agree with Netanyahu's policies.
Netanyahu seems to have a major lack of awareness of Biden's complex situation in the domestic arena in the US, or he is maliciously ignoring it. The incumbent president is in the midst of an election race, and his unreserved support for Israel has become a complicated topic. Sen. Bernie Sanders initiated a letter to President Biden demanding that he stop military aid to Israel. Sanders, who is known for his hostile attitude towards Israel, attached eight more Democratic senators to his letter. They accept what they define as the serious humanitarian catastrophe that is developing in Gaza, which is almost unprecedented in modern history.
The Washington Post reported that the annual hearing held by the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on global security threats discussed the global challenges and risks created by the war in Gaza. The Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines testified, explaining that "The crisis has galvanized violence by a range of actors around the world. And while it is too early to tell, it is likely that the Gaza conflict will have a generational impact on terrorism."
Interestingly, similar assessments are heard in conversations with senior diplomats at the United Nations. The war in Gaza is seen as an event that will encourage global terrorism. Biden deserves considerate behavior on Israel's part in the difficulties, challenges, and problems that the ongoing war in Gaza has caused him, the American president, in the domestic arena and the world.
If Netanyahu's confrontational behavior against Biden is influenced by the consideration that Donald Trump will win the 2024 presidential elections, this is a reckless gamble. The presidential race has only just begun, and the results are completely unpredictable. The polls that flatter Trump have recently published that many citizens who voted for him in the primary elections will not vote for him in the presidential elections.
Americans who are registered as Republicans spoke critically and negatively against Trump, who was defined in their words as unfit to serve as president. Even if Trump does win, he will no longer be the same president that Netanyahu thinks he knows. Far from it. Senior members of the Republican party speak anxiously about the chances of Trump returning to the White House.
What worries senior Jewish officials in the community who maintain close ties with politicians in Israel is that they do not notice any sign of a significant change in Netanyahu's behavior toward the White House. An article published in New York Magazine stated, "In the past month, he has, through a series of relatively quiet but closely linked and deliberate moves, sought to marginalize Bibi, as Netanyahu is ubiquitously known, internationally and at home."
One must wonder what else needs to happen for Prime Minister Netanyahu to initiate cordial relations with Joe Biden, over bowing down and submitting to Ben-Gvir and Smotrich?