If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuaimed to break the already fraught rift between the Israeli and United States juries, then so far, he’s doing an excellent job.
Nothing speaks more to the disconnect between his government and the largest Jewish expatriate community than Netanyahu’s decision on Sunday. cancel his participation At the annual convention of the Jewish Federation of North America, known as the General Assembly, which is meeting in Tel Aviv this year.
It is considered the most “resulting gathering” of the North. american jewish leadershipAnd the delegation going to Israel this year numbered 3,000, representing 74 Jewish communities in the US and Canada.
These are the people who advocate for Israel in their own communities and within the US government, which is considered Israel’s most strategic and strongest ally. He leads the solidarity mission. They raise hundreds of millions of dollars for humanitarian and emergency projects in Israel, especially in times of war.
When one looks across North America to see who loves Israel and the Jewish people, this is one of the most important leadership groups working 24-7 to foster the bond that Strengthens and helps both their own communities and Israel to flourish.
“The [JFNA] The General Assembly … is the longest and strongest symbol of the unbroken relationship between Israel and the United States through the American Jewish community,” said Danny Ayalon, Israel’s former ambassador to the US.
The strength of the JFNA, said Aylon, is a testament to the unity of the Jewish people and how “we are one”. “I have always said that the State of Israel belongs to every Jew in the world, whether he or she lives in Israel. We all have a stake in the State of Israel,” explained Ayalon, who is now chairman of the global investment firm Silver Road Capital Group. .
JFNA is an expression of that kind of global Jewish investment. For Netanyahu, Israel’s most experienced leader, this should be his first home court outside Israel, the place where he should be most welcomed.
This must be his time to inspire love in Zion and it is an easy task considering he doesn’t even need to go to the United States to do so. All they have to do is go to their conference across town, speak, and pass out.
This is especially important this year, given that many American Jews have raised concerns about his proposed judicial reform, fearing it undermines Israel’s democracy – or worse, turns it into a dictatorship. gives. Already in February, JFNA published an open letter to the Israeli government expressing its concerns.
what could netanyahu do
Netanyahu could use this platform to allay and reassure those fears, just as he has taken the time to address the American public at large, appearing on major US television networks in recent weeks. Most recently he appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday mornings.
It was not there, at the GA in Tel Aviv, that he tried to make his case for why judicial reform strengthens, but does not harm, Israeli democracy. He also emphasized how important it was for him to meet American politicians, Republicans and Democrats, who agree with him and those who do not.
“I’ve met with 50%, 50% Republicans and Democrats, hundreds and hundreds of them equally,” Netanyahu said, adding that he does so because a bipartisan relationship with the US “is important to Israel. “
It was a statement that made his absence from the JNFA all the more shocking. Michael Oren, Israel’s former ambassador to the US, said it was a “bad” decision, noting that such a move sent “no good message”.
“It is time to reach out to the Jewish world and reassure them that Israel remains the nation-state of the Jewish people everywhere, despite our differences, and to reaffirm the government’s commitment to dialogue and openness based on mutual respect.” for and the love of the Jewish people,” Oren said.
There was some speculation that Netanyahu canceled the conference to avoid street protests outside and criticism inside the room.
Just on Friday, MK Simcha Rothman (RZP), chairman of the Constitutional Law and Justice Committee, was heckled so badly during his appearance at the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem that he had to leave through the back door under police protection.
But one needs to remember that the planned street protests in London and Berlin did not stop Netanyahu from flying to both the places. One could have predicted that he would publicly criticize the judicial overhaul plan, especially from German leaders in Berlin, and he did, but he went anyway.
When it came to a Jewish American platform, however, Netanyahu turned it down, even though, as Alon Pincus, the former Israeli Consul General in New York points out, Netanyahu sees himself as the global leader of the Jewish people.
Pincus said, “Netanyahu is the prime minister of the State of Israel, which is, by definition, the state of the Jewish people.” “You, Netanyahu of all people, have always highlighted that you are essentially and effectively and historically the prime minister of the Jewish people,” a move that should have required his presence.
Pincus said their decision not to show up was “ridiculous”, “embarrassing” and “disrespectful” to those who attended.
“If you ask me what the deeper reason is,” he speculated, Netanyahu “simply dislikes American Jews. Seventy-five percent of the vote for Democrats and 80 percent for Reform and Conservative” are Jewish, so “he doesn’t care.”
A more sinister speculation is that this is simply retaliation by Netanyahu for the American Jewish community’s refusal to support his reform plan and the effect of that stance on the Biden administration.
His speech was canceled just a month after US President Joe Biden said he would not invite Netanyahu to the White House in the near future, citing opposition to the government’s judicial reform plan and anti-Semitism in the United States. .
Just days before the JNFA conference, Netanyahu indicated that he would send May Golan, the right-wing Likud minister who is notorious for his statements against African immigrants and refugees, to serve as Israel’s Consul General in New York. This was seen by some as a slap in the face to mostly liberal and democratic American Jews. Now it appears that Netanyahu has backtracked on that move.
Oren said Netanyahu could not afford to alienate American Jews. “As Israel faces a confrontation with Iran, US jury support represents a strategic asset to our security. Everything must be done to preserve that property.
Netanyahu’s tensions with US juries are not recent, and date back to his prior tenure as prime minister during both the Obama and Trump administrations, leading US juries to increasingly question the necessity of his relationship with Israel. The push for judicial reform has only strengthened that relationship. At a time when American Jews are asking the question why Israel should matter, Netanyahu is sending them the message that he doesn’t care, with a thumping slap in the face
At a time when Israel’s prime minister most needs to heal Israel’s bond with American juries, Netanyahu’s decision to ignore the GA when it comes to his doorstep has given the impression that when he Value America, when it comes to the Jewish country, he will want a divorce. ,