Political analysts talk to Sky News Arabia about the background of the dispute between Netanyahu, the longest-serving Israeli prime minister, and the US presidents from the Democratic Party in particular, and where he gained his “courage” in escalating it even at the height of the war, without fear of losing his position. American support.
After about 6 months of war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, the circle of differences expanded between Netanyahu and Biden, especially regarding the large military operation that Tel Aviv intends to launch in the Palestinian city of Rafah, the issue of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, and who will rule the Strip after the end of the war.
The crisis reached its peak after Washington, for the first time since the start of the war, refrained from using its veto power against a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, on March 26, and Netanyahu responded by canceling the travel of an Israeli delegation to Washington to discuss the Rafah operation, before calming down the response. He did so, and agreed to the delegation's travel.
Previous disagreements with Democrats
- In 1996, Netanyahu gave a lecture in which the former American, Bill Clinton, felt that he was giving sermons or orders to Washington. What angered the latter, according to what was recently published by the American “Time” magazine, after leaving office, Clinton said in September 2011 on the sidelines of the “Clinton International Initiative” conference in New York, regarding the reasons for the deterioration of the peace process, that Netanyahu “killed the peace process in the Middle East.” .
- Netanyahu's insistence on expanding settlements constituted a thorny issue between him and former President Barack Obama, and during his reign, Washington abstained from voting against a resolution in the UN Security Council condemning the settlements in late 2016.
- Moreover, Obama's signing of an agreement with Iran regarding its nuclear program prompted Netanyahu to deliver a speech before Congress, in which he criticized this agreement, bypassing traditional protocol. This angered White House officials.
On the other hand, relations between Netanyahu and the former US President from the Republican Party, Donald Trump, were calmer, especially since Trump did not enter into crises with Tel Aviv over the settlements, and he also sponsored the “Abrahamic Peace” that produced peace agreements between Israel and the UAE and between Israel and Bahrain.
What is behind Netanyahu's “daring” in the dispute?
Israeli political analyst, Elhanan Miller, agrees that the tensions occurring now between Netanyahu and Biden are not new, but rather a repetition of what happened between him and a number of Democratic American presidents.
Miller attributes this to the fact that Netanyahu believes that this strengthens his position in the Israeli right-wing camp, “and he feels that there are always external pressures that he is trying to keep away, and to show himself as a strong leader before his audience inside Israel.”
US Democratic Party member Mehdi Afifi points to another reason, which is that Netanyahu relies in his confrontations with the Democrats on his strong relationship with “the Zionist lobby inside America and his complex relationships with members of Congress; therefore, he knows how to put pressure on the White House.”
Traditionally, the Zionist lobby is a supporter of the Democratic Party and is influential in its election campaigns. Especially since it is the party closest to establishing laws that serve minorities.
Accordingly, Afifi believes that Netanyahu is encouraged by the fact that he “depends on the fact that American support, no matter what happens, will continue, as happened in previous decades, which made him feel that he cannot be pressured.”
“It's different”
But international relations professor Hamid Fares believes that the current disagreement between Netanyahu and Biden is “partially and completely different” from what preceded it.
This is evidenced by the fact that:
- The actions of the Netanyahu government embarrass the White House, as it has not listened to American advice since the beginning of the crisis, and has not allowed the United States to calm the situation.
- The Israeli government, under the influence of far-right ministers, such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, suggests that it does not need American support.
Will support stop?
Miller warns that relations will be affected as a result of Netanyahu's policy, saying that Netanyahu is inciting Israelis inside Israel against Biden to serve his interests, and at the same time he feels that American support is a given, but Miller warns that “this is a dangerous matter, and its results are not guaranteed for Israel.”
The Israeli analyst says that Netanyahu made the United States’ support for his country “a subject of disagreement within America, and this had not happened before, as it was a subject of consensus.”
Netanyahu's insistence on invading Rafah, which could cause a large number of deaths, added more fuel to the fires of American-Israeli tension. The Democratic Party fears that more deaths will cause Biden's chances to decline among the Arab and Muslim communities in the presidential elections next November.
These communities control 5 American states, and the number of their votes in the electoral college is estimated at 75 out of 538 votes, while Biden needs 270 votes to succeed in the elections. Which means that if he gets only 195 votes, if he loses the votes of these communities, he will lose the elections themselves, as Hamid Fares explains.
But on the other hand, Afifi asserts that the United States “cannot and will not prevent the Israeli government from doing anything it wants to do.”
Israel has been able to have strong support among “Democrats or Republicans,” and any issue raised in Congress in favor of Israel is accepted by more than 99 percent, according to the Democratic Party member.
Afifi believes that “Israel is more important to the United States than the importance of American interests themselves,” saying: “The Israeli government will continue what it is doing, as long as there is no reaction from the countries of the Middle East.”
Fares agrees with him, saying that Washington has provided Israel with “political, military, economic, legal and security support throughout the current crisis, and if this had not happened, the Israeli position would have been much more difficult.”
#reaching #unprecedented #level. #encourages #Netanyahu #oppose #Biden