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Many U.S. Democrats sceptical on chances to reset Netanyahu ties
By Patricia Zengerle

REUTERS

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Benjamin Netanyahu's first Trump-era Washington visit offers a chance to repair ties to Democrats that frayed during years of chilly relations under the Obama administration, but many party members said they do not expect much improvement given the Israeli prime minister's close alignment with Republicans.

 

"There's a lot of mending of fences that has to happen between the Netanyahu government and a lot of Democrats who feel like he unnecessarily politicized the U.S.-Israeli relationship," Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, a Senate Foreign Relations Committee member, said in a telephone interview.

 

The low point came in March 2015 when Netanyahu sidestepped the White House and State Department to arrange a speech to the Republican-led Congress opposing the international nuclear deal with Iran then being negotiated by President Barack Obama.

 

Led by the Congressional Black Caucus, more than 55 Democratic members of the Senate and House of Representatives skipped the speech to protest what they viewed as an attack on Obama, the first African-American U.S. president.

 

Tensions between Netanyahu and congressional Democrats have remained despite nearly seven decades of bipartisan support for Israel in Congress, which has used its spending authority to make Israel the largest recipient of annual U.S. military aid.

 

After Trump took office last month, Netanyahu tweeted his applause for Trump's plan to build a wall to keep out people from Mexico, which Democrats consider an expensive and racially tinged insult to a U.S. neighbour and ally.

 

Many Democrats also are wary of Netanyahu's support for building new settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians, and worry about statements from some in his government opposing the possibility of a Palestinian state.

 

MASSIVE AID PACKAGE

 

Democrats faulted congressional Republicans for using Israel as a wedge issue, despite strong Democratic support for initiatives such as a $38 billion military aid package the Obama administration signed in September.

 

"It doesn't look good or feel right when one party says, 'Well, we're better on Israel than the other party,' or if one party is trying to work in lock-step with Israeli officials," Representative Eliot Engel, the top House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrat, told Reuters.

 

Israeli officials said Netanyahu's aides have been aware of the need to re-establish a semblance of bipartisan even-handedness, even as the prime minister works to create a personal bond with Trump.

 

Aides travelling with Netanyahu did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. But as he left for Washington, Netanyahu made a point of saying he would meet with congressional leaders from both parties, signalling something of a rebalancing.

 

"The alliance between Israel and America has always been extremely strong. It's about to get even stronger," Netanyahu told reporters.

 

(Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Luke Baker; Editing by John Walcott and James Dalgleish)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-15

[Ulysses G.]

Now that Obama is gone, it should not be too difficult to mend fences. Most people realize that he was no friend of the Jewish state. However, Israel has good reason to be suspicious of other democrats as well. Dianne Feinstein supported stabbing one of our closest allies in the back concerning a recent UN resolution and her statement made no mention whatsoever of Palestinian terrorism, incitement, and rejection.

There was also the attempt at an anti-Israel Democrat platform in 2012 and the boos when it was amended at their convention to include a recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. However, the platform was eventually brought back in line.

Far left democrats have a bias in favor of Muslims and in opposition to Israel, but that is not the whole party. 7 in 10 Americans view Israel favorably and 6 in 10 sympathize more with Israel than with the Palestinians (Palestinian sympathizers are only at 15 percent). The democrats would make a big mistake to forget that. On the other hand, Republicans stand with Israel. End of story.

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been removed.   Stay on topic, please.

[Jingthing]

Yes, there is a problem.

My feeling is the partisan divide about Israel policy is almost completely on Netanyahu.

It seems like he went for short term wins including internal stuff for himself in Israel but not looking to the longer term future when the politics change in the USA and then Israel may have to deal with an emergent democratic party and most American Jews (who are overwhelmingly DEMOCRATS) "feeling" Israel a lot less than they used to.

 

Quote

 

Netanyahu To Liberal American Jews: Drop Dead

...

It should, however, be obvious to anybody, Jew or Gentile, Israeli or American, that while this approach may help Netanyahu stay in power, it is ultimately not good for Israel — or indeed for the Jewish people. When the Israeli Prime Minister serves as a cheerleader for an American President who many American Jews view as an anti-Semite, it sends a clear message that the Israeli leadership does not care about American Jews who are not on the right. Those Jews in turn, particularly younger ones, will naturally begin to question why they should continue to care about Israel. This will inevitably ultimately undermine bipartisan support for Israel, something that has long served the Jewish state well.

 

http://forward.com/opinion/362824/netanyahu-to-liberal-american-jews-drop-dead/

Edited February 15, 2017 by Jingthing