Israel is fighting an existential public relations war for its right to self-defense, Ambassador Mike Herzog told the annual Jerusalem Post Conference in New York as he reflected on the last nine months of the Gaza war.
"While we fight the military war on the ground in Gaza, we fight another war which is critical as well, the war to defend our right to exist, our right to defend ourselves,” he said in a conversation with Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief Zvika Klein.
“It's a war of perceptions and narratives. It's a war against those who want to delegitimize the State of Israel. It is a critical war, and we need to think about this strategically, long term,” said Herzog, who has been Israel’s Ambassador to the US since the war began on October 7.
“For us, this war is existential. It touches on existential nerves,” he said.
Former US Vice President Mike Pence, who spoke with Klein before Herzog, attacked US President Joe Biden on his Israel record during the war.
“If there was ever a time when America should be sounding a clear sound of support for Israel, that is now,” the veteran Republican politician said.
US support amid Israel's challenges
“Whether its domestic politics or lapse of judgment, I have been deeply disappointed, as have tens of millions of Americans, to see President Biden’s faltering rhetoric on Israel,” he said.
Herzog who works with the Democratic Biden administration daily, said that the President had stood with Israel, as he listed the many gestures of support.
“Since the beginning of the war, we have enjoyed a supply of weapon systems and munitions to the tune of billions of dollars,” Herzog said.
“We just saw the passing of the supplemental [budget], which is the biggest ever. The US vetoed four anti-Israel resolutions at the UN [Security Council].
“They stood with us at the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice,” Herzog said.“And when we are massively attacked by Iran, with hundreds of munitions on the night between April 13 and 14th, they stood with us,” he said.
But, he noted, there are policy differences, although he did not elaborate.
“These are dark days, but we must keep our faith and hope.
“I’m hopeful that, ultimately, we'll see better days. And I am a great believer in the relations between Israel and the US. The American people are with us,” Herzog said.
He recalled the fateful moments at the start of the Gaza war, when Hamas invaded southern Israel early in the morning, what would have been close to midnight in Washington.
He immediately put the embassy in war mode and contacted a senior person at the White House.
“It was past midnight. I said this is not another usual situation. And the guy wrote me back. ‘We are with you now.’”