Netanyahu needs to turn on the charm to woo Biden - opinion
While the optics of the new administration look straightforward enough, lovers of Israel are holding their collective breath.
By MICAH D. HALPERNPRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu meets with then-US vice president Joe Biden in Jerusalem, in March 2016, There is ‘history’ between these two leaders that needs to be dealt with.(photo credit: AMOS BEN-GERSHOM/GPO)
Lovers of Israel have hopes, but no real idea, of what the future under US President Joe Biden holds. No idea of what the future will look like. After four years riding the wave of unprecedented pro-Israel policy, the future is bound to be – if only by comparison, bleak.The Trump White House and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marched together, arm-in-arm, on every Middle East issue from the Palestinians to Syria to Iran. Jerusalem was recognized as the capital of Israel and the US embassy was moved. Also recognized was Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. And for the first time in so many years, Israel was resoundingly and repeatedly defended in the international arena and in the United Nations.There was direct communication between leaders. Trump and Netanyahu enjoyed one another’s company. They spoke to each other directly, without the need for diplomatic protocols and ambassadors. Even their disagreements were handled with ease.Now there is a new administration, and while the optics of the new administration look straightforward enough, lovers of Israel are holding their collective breath.The Jewish community in the United States is not one unified mass. The largest Diaspora Jewish community is divided on every issue and so, too, on Israel. American Jewry is not what it once was. The Jewish community no longer votes on one issue – Israel.Those American Jews who are not committed to Israel feel no anxiety about the Biden administration’s Israel policy.ISRAEL IS headed for elections. The outcome of that election is too far away and too convoluted to predict. In the here and now, the relationship between Washington and Jerusalem is contingent upon the relationship between Biden and Netanyahu. There will be interaction and positive engagement. There must be – because of history and mutual benefits. But there need not be tension. Tensions make relationships complicated and difficult.There is “history” between these two leaders. That history needs to be dealt with. And it is Netanyahu who needs to be the bigger man. But as of this writing, the two leaders have still not spoken.There is also a longstanding history of a quick and important meeting between new administrations whenever a new leader was elected in the US or in Israel. That meeting would take place within the first few months after inauguration. The Israeli prime minister would hop a plane to Washington and the two leaders would reaffirm essential agreements related to their special relationship and the sharing of essential and important security information.That meeting has yet to be scheduled.
Obviously, a big issue for lovers of Israel is if how Biden and his administration will approach Israel. While it is clear that Biden and his team understand just how valuable the US/Israel bond is, what is not so obvious is how they will embrace and interpret that bond.Now Netanyahu needs to turn on the charm. Many of the officials in the Biden administration, including Biden himself, have felt the sting of past Netanyahu antics during the Obama presidency. The prime minister needs to tone down his long-honed arrogance. He needs to be sincere and put it all on the line. He needs to approach the new president and his team – those he has dealt with in the past as well as the newbies – with humility. He must think of this interaction as would a young man approaching his father for a favor, or a young man asking his future father-in-law for his daughter’s hand in marriage.This will not be easy for Netanyahu. But that does not diminish its importance.DIPLOMATICALLY AND militarily and for issues of security, Israel needs the United States. And the United States needs Israel. But that does not mean that the United States and Israel are equals. That is why humility, a character trait that is not the strong suit of many Israelis, not just the prime minister, is essential. The expression “let bygones be bygones” needs to ring true for Biden and Netanyahu. The leaders of the US and Israel should not, cannot, must not, be adversaries. They need to be partners. Their relationship must be positive.Israelis need to understand that disagreements do not equal antisemitism. Antony Blinken, the new US Secretary of State is not the enemy. He may have been a key player in the Iranian negotiations, but he is an extremely talented diplomat with a great deal of experience. At this juncture, he should be viewed as a strong ally.There is history between Blinken and Jews, he has a predisposition towards Jews and Israel. He is Jewish. Samuel Pisar, who passed away in 2015, was his stepfather. Pisar was an outstanding Jewish leader, a hero. He survived seven Nazi camps, including Auschwitz, Majdanek, Dachua, Sachsenhausen and the Engelberg Tunnels. Of the 900 students in his school in Bialystok, Samuel Pisar was the sole survivor.This is not to say that Blinken will do whatever Israel wants. What it means is that he is not out to get Israel, to do her damage. And neither is his boss.Israel is strong and will remain strong. Israel is stronger when the US has her back. Hopefully, under the new administration, the US will have Israel’s back.
