The bipartisan support of the United States has been a fundamental pillar for the existence and survival of Israel, but President Joe Biden is running out of patience. Tensions between the White House and the ultranationalist coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu boiled over shortly after his inauguration, with hints that Washington would avoid formal meetings with extremist Jewish ministers. Yesterday, Biden went a step further and demanded that Netanyahu withdraw the reform of the judicial system because "Israel cannot continue on this path."
"Like so many supporters of Israel, I am very concerned," said the US president, in statements that highlighted the growing tensions between the two strategic allies. "Let's hope that the prime minister acts to achieve a genuine solution," added Biden, who also made it clear that he will not invite him to the White House in the near future. On Monday, US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides hinted that Netanyahu's announced temporary halt to controversial judicial reform could lead to an imminent invitation to visit Washington, pending since he resumes power in late 2022.
Despite the fact that the Biden administration did not officially intervene publicly to stop the laws that are weighing down the separation of powers in Israel, US diplomacy squeezed its ally behind the scenes, warning it that its reputation as "the only democracy in the Middle East" is in serious danger . In the days before the break announced by Netanyahu, claiming that it will give the negotiation time to seek broader agreements and avoid a civil conflict, Biden clarified to his counterpart by telephone that democratic values "always were, and must continue to be, a pillar of US-Israel relations.”
White House officials drew two conclusions about Netanyahu's strategy. First, that he failed in his calculations about the consequences after the unexpected dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, struck down for demanding that legal reform be halted in the face of the obvious risks facing national security. Second, he tried to contain the anger of his far-right allies by warning that a military crisis could soon break out with Iran – that it would be close to obtaining nuclear weapons – and that in that scenario, US military and diplomatic support would be essential. Netanyahu managed to contain his radical allies, who even threatened to implode the coalition if they stopped the plan to neutralize the authorities of the Supreme Court.
In Jerusalem they did not like the public warnings. Although Netanyahu recalled that "I have known President Biden for more than 40 years and I appreciate his commitment to Israel," he insisted that his executive is committed to "reinforcing democracy by restoring the proper balance between the three branches of government." , which we will reach by consensus”. The Likud leader rejected continuous calls for dialogue, and despite the supposed stoppage announced, the coalition continued to debate the proposed law so that the Government can control the process of selecting judges. Netanyahu raised his tone and recalled that "Israel is a sovereign state, which makes its decisions according to the will of its citizens and not according to foreign pressure, including those of its best friends."
According to members of the Biden administration, the ball is now in Netanyahu's court, and his next decisions will mark whether the open crisis with Washington will continue to worsen. For the centrist opponent Benny Gantz, the words of the US president constitute an “urgent call for attention. Damaging relations with the US, our most important ally, is strategic damage.” In a Trumpist tone, the Likud accused Biden of being a "victim of the fake news disseminated against our justified legal reform."
Biden represents the moderate wing of the Democratic Party, and has been promoting pro-Israel legislation for 50 years. Greater tension with Israel could empower pro-Palestinian voices that are gaining weight in their formation, and that are even demanding to stop the million-dollar annual military donations that the US provides to the Jewish state. Biden hastened options to avoid a media confrontation with Netanyahu, but considered that the obvious risk that Israeli democracy runs is its red line. Netanyahu also maintained tense relations with Democratic predecessors Clinton and Obama, considering that they intervened in Israel's elections.
