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Washington Will Not Turn on Israel's New Government

(Jerusalem Post) Amb. Zalman Shoval - Relations between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have a long and on the whole positive history. In tune with Biden's long-established positions, at the J Street conference in Washington last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised Israel's democratic elections and congratulated Netanyahu on his victory, stressing the importance of relations between the U.S. and Israel regardless of the political hue of its government. Blinken specifically reiterated the importance of American security-related support for Israel, emphasizing that "no peace is possible or sustainable without a strong, secure Israel," specifying that "our assistance to Israel is sacrosanct" and that "the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's security assistance has never been stronger than it is today." However, even if the administration makes do with conflict management, it does not mean that its definition of "management" is the same as Israel's. The upgraded status of the American envoy to the Palestinians, Hady Amr, among other things, shows that this is not the case. Israel's experienced and pragmatic prime minister can be expected to recognize this. For the next few years, the extreme polarization in American politics and society may mean that Israel's diplomacy will have to be guided by the rule set by the late Moshe Dayan: namely, risk confrontations only on truly vital matters. The writer, a former MK, served as Israel's ambassador to the U.S. in 1990-1993 and 1998-2000.
2023-01-02 00:00:00
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