Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel on July 7 delivered a critical speech at Tel Aviv University targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the current state of U.S.-Israel relations.

Emanuel stated that the relationship between the United States and Israel “cannot stand or survive as it has been,” emphasizing that “to maintain the strength of our ties we need significant changes and a new direction,” according to a Politico report.

He blamed Netanyahu for steering Israel toward a “dead end,” emboldened by what Emanuel described as poor decisions by U.S. leaders. Emanuel criticized the unconditional U.S. support that, he said, has enabled Israel to deny food and medical relief to Palestinians in Gaza and allowed a political coalition in the Knesset to burn Palestinian farmland in the West Bank and terrorize Palestinian families without consequence, as reported by Haaretz.

Politico also reported that Emanuel urged Israelis to view U.S. support as “expressly contingent” on a renewed American commitment to Palestinian sovereignty and a rejection of ambitions to assert control beyond official borders in pursuit of what is termed “Greater Israel.”

Emanuel further criticized Netanyahu’s relationship with former President Donald Trump, accusing them of attempting to “marginalize the Palestinian question and focus diplomacy on regional security and economic prosperity.”

The speech comes amid shifting American public opinion, with an Associated Press-NORC poll released Tuesday showing that 58 percent of Democrats believe the U.S. supports Israel too much, while only 20 percent think the support is appropriate.

Historically, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) supported a 2003 peace roadmap for the Middle East, as noted by The Forward.

Sources

  • The Hill
  • Politico (as cited in The Hill)
  • Haaretz (as cited in The Hill)
  • Associated Press-NORC poll (as cited in The Hill)
  • The Forward (as cited in The Hill)