Two and a half weeks into the new government's term, the new atmosphere between Jerusalem and Washington is unmistakable. A message from the US president stated that Biden had "warmly" invited Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to meet in Washington.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Tuesday in Abu Dhabi that "This administration [Biden's] wants to see progress with other Arab states, but also with the Palestinians, in an attempt to see how close our positions are." Then Lapid sniped at the Trump administration, despite his own calls to maintain bilateral support for Israel.
Earlier this week, after meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Rome, Lapid made it clear that differences of opinion with the Americans would be discussed behind closed doors, "not at press conferences." The two underscored that they each represented new governments that were seeking a new starts.
There are other indications that both the Biden administration and the Bennett-Lapid government are trying to clear away the anger that had built up on both sides under former Prime Minister Netanyahu It's important to stress that there is nothing wrong with that. Indeed, Israeli leaders have an obligation to preserve and improve our alliance with the US as much as they can It would also be nice to score some points with the Democrats, and possibly the American media, through these announcements.
But along with the desire to rectify past mistakes, our new leaders' most important mission is to avoid getting confused between the forest and the trees, and to not opt for a positive atmosphere at the expense of core issues by blundering into a honey trap.
There is nothing cynical in the American embrace of Bennett and Lapid. Biden truly means it when he says that on his watch, Iran will never have nuclear weapons, as he told President Reuven Rivlin. And as someone who was raised in the home of a Holocaust survivor, Blinken truly wants to do what he sees as right to protect the Jewish state. But the responsibility for our future doesn't rest on the shoulders of American leaders, but with us, the Israelis.
The fact is that the US is leaning into a nuclear deal with Iran, which doesn't really want one, but that's another story. To that end, the US is lifting sanctions, making gestures, and allowing the murderous regime to line its pockets with billions and billions of dollars. The fact is that Blinken is the one who wants to open a consulate for Palestinians in the heart of Jerusalem, thereby signaling that the city will be the future capital of the Palestinians, as well as Israel.
But who will speak out against the oiling of the wheels of global terrorism, if not the state that is under greater threat from it than any other – Israel? Who will demand that Biden live up to his explicit promise not to allow Hamas to rearm itself, if not Bennett, Lapid, and Gantz? Who will block the message that Jerusalem can be divided, which the Americans want to send out to the world, if not the prime minister and his prime minister-designate colleague?
This is the biggest challenge facing the new Israeli leadership. Success in it is, with all due respect, more important that feelings, image, or an improved atmosphere.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
