By: Patrick Bodovitz
This past year, the Israeli government elected a new coalition to power that is one of the most controversial in its history. There are both familiar and new faces, but those incoming for the first time arise particular concerns. This government is the most right-wing government Israel has ever had and its policy platform reflects that. Some of the proposals not only jeopardize what remains of the two-state solution but also attack LGBTQ and women’s rights, target secular Jews, and may put Israel’s democratic project at risk. Yet, so far, this agenda and the composition of the government has not elicited much attention from the Biden administration beyond bland claims like “our relationship with Israel is ironclad.”[i] This seems to be a mistake. If there is to be peace and stability in the Middle East, and if the United States wishes to remain a credible actor, then it is critical that the Biden administration puts forward a robust position in response. This includes taking more decisive action to block settlement building, sanctions on individuals or entities promoting religious or ethnic violence, and jumpstarting immediate peace negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government. If these issues are not addressed, the consequences for the people in the region could be as grotesque as during the period of the 2nd Intifada.
Since 1948, the United States and Israel have had an alliance based on the precept that America respects the Israeli people’s right to self-determination, that both countries share democratic values, and that both countries have longstanding personal bonds. This alliance was shaped by nonnegotiable American security assistance, ties of friendship between members of Congress and the Knesset, cooperation between intelligence agencies, and the US vetoing any UN Security Council resolutions seen as anti-Israel.[ii] Since 1948, the United States has given about $150 billion in bilateral assistance and missile defense funding, making Israel the largest recipient of US foreign aid since World War Two.[iii]For some, the relationship is like no other. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo even once said that “America’s real special relationship may be the one we have with Israel.”[iv] While the relationship has been strained at times, bipartisan support for Israel has become a staple in both Washington and Jerusalem.
Looking at this new radical government, it is clear that despite Joe Biden’s longstanding admiration for Israel[v], there will be serious tensions in the relationship. The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is well-known in Washington. For the past 20 years that he has been in politics, Netanyahu has steadily moved further to the right and made the relationship between the US and Israel a partisan issue. His relationships with past American presidents, including Donald Trump, are notoriously poor. Additionally, his recent appointments for Finance, National Security, and Deputy Prime Ministers have caused much alarm. The Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, is an illegal settler who runs the Religious Zionism party, has promoted intense anti-Arab and homophobic sentiments, and opposes Palestinian statehood.[vi] Yariv Levin is the Justice Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister. He is leading the judicial overhaul that will see the Supreme Court lose its power and is also a supporter of illegal settlement.[vii] Lastly, Itamar Ben-Gvir is the National Security Minister and leader of the Jewish Power Party. He is a notorious politician and a follower of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, a racist and convicted terrorist.[viii] He was once part of the organization Kach which was designated a terror group by both the US and Israeli governments.[ix] He calls for the deportation of anyone that opposes Israeli policy toward the Palestinians, supports arming all settlers, and has called for annexing the entire West Bank and Gaza.[x] These ministers are a few among many that hold hawkish views on Iran and the Palestinians, a desire to crush the Arab parties in the Knesset, want to crack down on LGBTQ organizations, and aim to establish parliamentary control over the judiciary to pass legislation without concern for the Supreme Court’s judgment.
The Biden administration has been hoping to not be drawn into Israel’s policy in the West Bank and Gaza due to an aversion to spending political capital on this issue and fear that criticism of Israeli policy will harm the relationship. There is also mistrust, as a result of terror attacks, towards Palestinian leaders. This is surely a mistake. Failure to push back on the undemocratic behavior taking hold in Israel has opened the United States to accusations of hypocrisy, hatred of Muslims, and inflaming tensions in the Middle East. It is clear that the Israelis have no desire to implement the two-state solution for religious and political reasons, such as the belief that the West Bank is historically land that only belongs to the Israeli people. A lack of effort to push the Israeli government to stop the violence against Palestinians and the seizure of their lands could have terrible consequences for the region.
What can and should be done? First, the US can support UNSC resolution 2334 which aims to force Israel to leave the occupied territories. This resolution “affirmed that Israel’s actions to change the status of occupied territories are without legal validity.”[xi] Much of Israel’s actions over the recent years have been shielded by the United States at the UN. The US abstained from this resolution which allowed it to pass in the first place, this would simply be an extension of that choice. Secondly, the US government can apply Magnitsky sanctions on Israeli ministers that undermine peace efforts and promote settler violence against Palestinians. This is a particularly contentious proposal because it is seen as one of the goals of the BDS movement, a movement that US officials have rejected in the past. However, it will be necessary in light of the fact that Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have both been convicted of terrorism in the past and are likely to endorse settler violence against Palestinians. Lastly, the military aid given to the IDF must be conditioned per US law. There is evidence that weapons systems given to Israel have been behind human rights violations such as the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and illegal demolitions of Palestinian homes.[xii] Under the Leahy Law, the US is forbidden to give weapons to militaries committing war crimes.[xiii] These actions would be very helpful in stopping Israel from destroying the possibility of a two-state solution and could finally bring about peace in that region, critical for the US‘s reputation as a willing broker.
Taking decisive action against this new Israeli government is crucial and long overdue. If there is no action taken and unconditional support continues, then the consequences could be terrible. The settlements would continue to be built and we could see a resurgence in terrorism due to the diminished hope for alternatives. There will be more displaced Palestinians in neighboring countries like Egypt, Syria, and Jordan which could destabilize the region and lead to a larger war. Additionally, the ultra-Zionists may decide to annex more and more land. If the actions mentioned above are not taken, it could lead to another Intifada and the regrowth of terror groups that have targeted the US and Israel in the past.
Bibliography
Associated Press. “Israel Unveils Controversial Plans to Overhaul Judicial System.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, January 4, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/04/israel-unveils-controversial-plans-to-overhaul-judicial-system.
Beinart, Peter. “Joe Biden’s Alarming Record on Israel.” Jewish Currents, 2020. https://jewishcurrents.org/joe-bidens-alarming-record-on-israel.
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. “Leahy Law Fact Sheet – United States Department of State.” U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, December 2, 2022. https://www.state.gov/key-topics-bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-labor/human-rights/leahy-law-fact-sheet/.
Duss, Matthew, and Zaha Hassan. “How the Biden Administration Should Approach the New Israeli Government.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, January 17, 2023. https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/01/17/how-biden-administration-should-approach-new-israeli-government-pub-88822.
Ghaedi, Monir. “How US-Israel Relations Have Evolved since 1948.” dw.com. Deutsche Welle, July 12, 2022. https://www.dw.com/en/how-us-israel-relations-have-evolved-over-the-decades/a-62413422.
Kornbluh, Jacob. “In New Book, Pompeo Accuses Netanyahu of Spreading False Rumor for Political Gain.” The Forward, January 20, 2023. https://forward.com/news/532745/mike-pompeo-israel-benjamin-netanyahu-nikki-haley-book/.
Staff, Al Jazeera. “Shireen Abu Akleh: Key US Senator Demands Answers on Killing.” Freedom of the Press News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, September 15, 2022. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/15/shireen-abu-akleh-key-us-senator-demands-answers-on-killing.
Staff, Al Jazeera. “US Removes Ultranationalist Israeli Group from ‘Terror’ List.” Politics News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, May 20, 2022. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/20/us-removes-ultranationalist-israeli-group-from-terror-list.
Staff, Business Standard. “US State Secretary Blinken Vows ‘Ironclad Commitment’ to Israel.” Business Standard News. Business-Standard, March 28, 2022. https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/us-state-secretary-blinken-vows-ironclad-commitment-to-israel-122032800048_1.html.
“Who Are the Ministers Leading Israel’s New Far-Right Government?” Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, December 29, 2022. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/29/who-are-the-ministers-leading-israels-new-far-right-government.
[i] Staff, Business Standard. “US State Secretary Blinken Vows ‘Ironclad Commitment’ to Israel.” Business Standard News. Business-Standard, March 28, 2022. https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/us-state-secretary-blinken-vows-ironclad-commitment-to-israel-122032800048_1.html.
[ii] Ghaedi, Monir. “How US-Israel Relations Have Evolved Since 1948 – DW – 07/12/2022.” dw.com. Deutsche Welle, July 12, 2022. https://www.dw.com/en/how-us-israel-relations-have-evolved-over-the-decades/a-62413422.
[iii] Ghaedi, Monir. “How US-Israel Relations Have Evolved since 1948.” dw.com. Deutsche Welle, July 12, 2022. https://www.dw.com/en/how-us-israel-relations-have-evolved-over-the-decades/a-62413422.
[iv] Kornbluh, Jacob. “In New Book, Pompeo Accuses Netanyahu of Spreading False Rumor for Political Gain.” The Forward, January 20, 2023. https://forward.com/news/532745/mike-pompeo-israel-benjamin-netanyahu-nikki-haley-book/.
[v] Beinart, Peter. “Joe Biden’s Alarming Record on Israel.” Jewish Currents, 2020. https://jewishcurrents.org/joe-bidens-alarming-record-on-israel.
[vi] No Name. “Who Are the Ministers Leading Israel’s New Far-Right Government?” Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, December 29, 2022. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/29/who-are-the-ministers-leading-israels-new-far-right-government.
[vii] Associated Press. “Israel Unveils Controversial Plans to Overhaul Judicial System.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, January 4, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/04/israel-unveils-controversial-plans-to-overhaul-judicial-system.
[viii] Staff, Al Jazeera. “US Removes Ultranationalist Israeli Group from ‘Terror’ List.” Politics News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, May 20, 2022. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/20/us-removes-ultranationalist-israeli-group-from-terror-list.
[ix] Staff, Al Jazeera. “US Removes Ultranationalist Israeli Group from ‘Terror’ List.” Politics News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, May 20, 2022. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/20/us-removes-ultranationalist-israeli-group-from-terror-list.
[x] No Name. “Who Are the Ministers Leading Israel’s New Far-Right Government?” Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, December 29, 2022. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/29/who-are-the-ministers-leading-israels-new-far-right-government.
[xi] Duss, Matthew, and Zaha Hassan. “How the Biden Administration Should Approach the New Israeli Government.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, January 17, 2023. https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/01/17/how-biden-administration-should-approach-new-israeli-government-pub-88822.
[xii] Staff, Al Jazeera. “Shireen Abu Akleh: Key US Senator Demands Answers on Killing.” Freedom of the Press News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, September 15, 2022. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/15/shireen-abu-akleh-key-us-senator-demands-answers-on-killing.
[xiii] Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. “Leahy Law Fact Sheet – United States Department of State.” U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, December 2, 2022. https://www.state.gov/key-topics-bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-labor/human-rights/leahy-law-fact-sheet/.
Leave a Reply