Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on his way to Washington for his first diplomatic trip since the Oct. 7 massacre carried out by the terrorist organization Hamas, and the following Gaza War imposed on Israel since then.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, Netanyahu is expected to meet with President Biden, and afterwards with Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden, who announced his retirement from the presidential race yesterday, supports as his replacement. On Wednesday, Netanyahu will address both houses of the U.S. Congress. It is not yet known whether Netanyahu will meet with former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Trump is not in Washington, and if a meeting between the two is scheduled, Netanyahu is likely to fly to New York or New Jersey for that purpose.
Netanyahu arrives in the United States at a significant political moment, just after Biden's dramatic announcement yesterday of his withdrawal from the presidential race.
Regarding attitudes towards Israel, Harris has been perceived in recent months as expressing tougher positions than Biden. She criticized Israel for the severe hunger allegedly prevailing in the Gaza Strip, said in one of her speeches that a ceasefire was needed immediately, even before other senior officials made similar statements, and also that there should be a distinction between the people of Israel and its government.
However, in reality, even Biden - after his emotional speeches of support at the beginning of the Gaza War, immediately following Hamas' horrific massacre - applied pressure on Israel at critical points that at least prolonged the fighting. Among other things, the necessary military entry into Rafah was delayed, and it is possible that the pressure on Israel to reduce military intensity and allowing the entry of a large amounts of humanitarian aid, much of which fell into the hands of Hamas, also delayed an agreement that could have returned the hostages.
Harris, as president, is not good news for Israel
Beyond that, it cannot be denied that the cold shoulder Biden turned to Netanyahu in the year before the massacre, based on the meaningless argument of concern about judicial changes in Israel, led to an Iranian understanding that this was an appropriate time to attack Israel.
Fundamentally, Biden, who has already been called "the last Zionist president," has genuine affection for Israel. His story of meeting with the late Prime Minister Golda Meir seems to be known by every child in Israel. However, his statements that if Israel did not exist, it would have to be invented, and that a secure Israel is essential for the security of every Jew in the world, are likely to become rare from future American presidents, especially Democrats. Harris does not have such a value-based foundation.
However, more than Harris's positions, the intense pressures that led Biden to leave are the main thing to consider, and these pressures will also accompany Harris, even more so. The Democratic approach to foreign relations, that every conflict can be resolved diplomatically, has brought the world to one of its most dangerous situations since World War II. Europe is engaged in an explosive war, the Middle East is burning, and China is warming up on the sidelines. Harris, if she becomes president, is considered weak - and for Israel, as well as global peace and security, these are not good news.
