July 30, 2024

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IntelBrief: Netanyahu’s Visit to the U.S. Occurred During Uncertain Political Shifts

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Last week’s visit to the United States by Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was planned several months ago by U.S. Republican leaders determined to contrast their strong support of Israel with what they claim has been waning backing for Israel on the part of President Biden and other Democratic leaders. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, the most senior Republican in the U.S. Congress, had extended the invitation for Netanyahu to address Congress, in the process seeking to present Biden administration criticism of Israel’s civilian casualty-heavy tactics in Gaza as an abandonment of the most crucial U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Yet, Netanyahu’s visit occurred just after President Biden’s announcement on July 21 that he was withdrawing from the presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him. The dramatic changes to the Democratic ticket caused wariness throughout the Israeli political establishment because of Harris’ past sharp criticism of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tactics in Gaza that have caused thousands of Palestinian civilian deaths there and of Netanyahu’s apparent intent to pursue the war until Hamas is “eliminated” politically and militarily.

Netanyahu’s meetings with the three principal U.S. leaders - Biden, Harris, and Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump - played out largely as analysts had expected. President Biden, who this week listed as one of his main priorities for the remainder of his term as securing an end to the Gaza war, focused primarily on pressuring Netanyahu to finalize an agreement with Hamas to implement the staged ceasefire, hostage release, and war termination proposals stipulated by Biden on May 31. The Oval Office meeting came amid meetings between U.S. and Arab mediators in Cairo, Doha, and elsewhere, that U.S. officials said were narrowing outstanding gaps in Israel’s and Hamas’ positions.

Still, Netanyahu and his hardline coalition continue to insist on the right to intervene militarily in Gaza even after hostilities cease – a position that appears to stand in the way of a deal, as do some remaining demands set by Hamas. Netanyahu’s critics in the U.S. and Israel assert the Prime Minister’s demand for a permanent security role in Gaza masks an intent to pursue unending war against Hamas with unclear or unattainable goals. If Netanyahu sought in his U.S. visit to obtain clear U.S. backing to continue to prosecute the war with few, if any, U.S. restrictions, he evidently failed to garner that endorsement from any sitting senior U.S. officials.

Vice President Harris, who met with Netanyahu as she apparently secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become the presidential nominee, used the meeting to press Netanyahu on a ceasefire deal and portray herself as a strong supporter of Israel’s security. Seeking to bolster her foreign policy credentials and candidacy, Harris insisted on meeting Netanyahu separately rather than joining President Biden’s talks with the prime minister. According to a Harris aide: “President Biden and Vice President Harris delivered the same message in their private meetings to Prime Minister Netanyahu: it is time to get the ceasefire and hostage deal done.” The aide added that Harris’ meeting with Netanyahu was “serious and collegial.”

An official readout suggested Harris also sought to use the Netanyahu meeting to appeal to moderate voters – amid polls showing majority public U.S. support for Israel. According to her office, “[Harris and Netanyahu] discussed the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to ensure Israel can defend itself from threats from Iran and Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Hamas, Lebanese Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and the importance of combatting the rise in Antisemitism globally. The Vice President again condemned Hamas as a brutal terrorist organization as well as individuals associating with Hamas, noting that pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and must not be tolerated.” The recent attack at Majdal Shams only serves to raise the chances of escalation between Israel and Hezbollah as the region once again moves closer toward the brink of all-out warfare.

Still, Harris did not necessarily allay Israeli officials’ fears that a Harris administration would be more critical than the Biden administration, or, particularly, a second Trump administration. Harris did not preside over Netanyahu’s address on Wednesday to a joint session of Congress, which dozens of other Democratic legislators boycotted as a show of opposition to Netanyahu’s policies on the Gaza conflict. Speaking on background, an Israeli official said that Netanyahu was “caught off guard” by Harris' post-meeting statement, which the Israelis considered more critical than what she had told Netanyahu in their meeting. According to a report in Axios, Netanyahu also took issue with her raising the issues of extremist settler violence and Israeli settlement expansion on the West Bank. However, Harris supporters argued that, in her public and private remarks, she did not insist Israel should end the war unconditionally and largely restated longstanding Biden-Harris administration positions on the Gaza conflict.

Predictably, during his address to a joint session of Congress and his meeting in Florida with Trump, Netanyahu seemed to garner the clear and vocal U.S. support he sought. Addressing Congress, Netanyahu won significant applause by painting the U.S. and Israel as partners in an existential struggle against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its “Axis of Resistance” partners such as Lebanese Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hamas. As he has done since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, he sought to build U.S. public and official support for his Gaza war policies by equating the October 7 assault to the 1941 surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington by the al-Qaeda organization. He sought to counter critics who argue he lacks a plan for the “day after” in Gaza by calling for a “demilitarized and de-radicalized Gaza Strip” and the formation of a regional coalition to counter Iran, consisting of the U.S., Israel, and moderate Arab states that have normalized relations with Israel.

According to reports and statements following Netanyahu’s meeting with Donald Trump on Friday, the prime minister received some, although not all, of the signals of support he sought from a second Trump presidency. In comments in connection with the meeting, Trump reminded voters he has been a staunch supporter of Israel, having moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights during his 2017-2021 term. He contrasted his approach with that of his likely opponent in November, stating he would be a stronger ally of Israel than Harris and calling her “not very nice” to Israel.

Trump told reporters he had moved past his reported upset at Netanyahu for quickly recognizing President Biden’s 2020 election victory and congratulating him. At the same time, former President Trump also seemed to want to appeal to his base voters, who are, in large part, wary of extensive U.S. involvement in wars around the world. He said of the war in Gaza: “It can’t continue to go on like this. It’s too long. It’s too much.” To that extent, Trump seemed to indicate his differences with Biden and Harris on the Gaza conflict are not as wide as some experts and media might portray. Still, Trump did not propose any specific policies that might move either Netanyahu or Hamas off the goals and positions that have stood in the way of a renewed ceasefire and hostage release deal for the past nine months.