Over in Israel, the media are trying to figure out the safest way for Bibi Netanyahu to back out of his planned speech before a Joint Session of Congress. Here at home, the prime minister’s emissaries appear to be completely incapable of putting out the fire they’ve created. Yesterday, Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein spent their day on Capitol Hill trying and failing to appease outraged Jewish lawmakers and Democratic Party leaders.
The results were laughable. Nancy Pelosi gave a lesson in passive aggression:
And yet, calls grow louder for Netanyahu to call the whole thing off. Naturally, his political opponents at home were the first to attack the prime minister, accusing him of turning American support for Israel into partisan issue. Leading members of the Democratic party soon joined the chorus, with Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, openly calling on Netanyahu to cancel.
“Things happen in people’s schedules. You just never know,” Pelosi said, hinting that some Congressmen from her party might not find the time to attend Netanyahu’s speech if he insists on delivering it.
That’s the old, “It would be a shame if something happened to…” threat.
In this case, the threat is that Netanyahu might make a speech and the only news coverage it would get would be related to the fact that most of the Democrats didn’t even bother to show up. And one of the those missing Democrats could be Vice-President Biden. In fact, the White House couldn’t be clearer that they don’t want Dems attending Bibi’s speech:
Nothing that happened Wednesday seems to have calmed the revolt that has dozens of Democrats considering skipping Netanyahu’s speech. [White House press secretary Josh] Earnest said that the White House can see why they might.
“Individual members of Congress will have to make their own decision, some of which I assume will be driven by their schedule and some of which will be driven by their own views about what has transpired over the last several weeks as it relates to this speech,” Earnest said.
Asked whether the president believes the America-Israel relationship would be harmed by Democrats skipping the speech, Earnest ducked again.
“The president believes that individual members of Congress will have to decide for themselves,” he said.
Everyone is encouraged to develop a scheduling conflict.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu couldn’t be clearer that the entire point of his speech is to try to torpedo an agreement with Iran.
Anxious about a deal between Iran and six world powers that would legitimize the Islamic Republic as a nuclear threshold state, and apparently convinced that a speech before American lawmakers could help avert such a deal, Netanyahu on Thursday made plain his appearance in Congress will take place as planned.
“It is my obligation as the prime minister of Israel to speak out against the danger of a nuclear agreement with Iran, and to do everything I can to prevent it,” he said.
Raphael Ahren of the Times of Israel thinks Biden could become a key bargaining chip. In exchange for Netanyahu canceling his speech before Congress, he would get a meeting with Joe. He could also meet with congressional leaders and key committee chairs and ranking members.
One thing is pretty clear. Most Jewish lawmakers do not share Bibi’s politics or his assessment of the Iranian threat, and a big wedge is opening up. If things keep going this way, Israel could find itself depending on only one American political party, and not the one that Jewish lawmakers belong to.
How weird is that?
