Ahead of the U.S. presidential elections in November, it must be said: the cold shoulder that senior Israeli officials turn toward the Democrats is a mistake that may have strategic implications.
True, along with broad and steady support for Israel and its security, there have been troubling voices in the Democratic party that would have been inconceivable until recently. At the same time, Republicans are increasingly adopting isolationist positions that effectively renounce the United States's leadership of the Free World and will undermine the international standing of its allies. To my mind, the latter is more harmful to Israel. But fortune telling is a risky business, so I will stick to what is certain.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks before a joint session of Congress
(Photo: Kevin Mohatt, Reuters)
It is certain that Israel can only be aligned with the West, led by the U.S. And it is also certain that given the system of government there, Israel must not be identified with any one side of the political map, Republican or Democrat and must not become a partisan issue.
Many Israelis are not aware that unlike in Israel, where the prime minister is a member of the Knesset and forms a coalition with colleagues that can then pass any law, America has complete separation between the executive branch and the legislative branch. Some Israelis assume that coalition decrees obligate lawmakers.
Many are not aware that each law undergoes separate processes in the Senate and the House of Representatives, and then an agreed version is brought to the president to sign. The president may initiate steps, like moving the embassy to Jerusalem or requesting special assistance in times of war. But without the consent of both houses of Congress, he cannot spend a penny. The bottom line is that in order to get anything done, all three players – president, Senate, House – must be on board.
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Donald Trump and Kamala Harris
(Photo: AP Photo/Kayla Wolf ,Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/AFP, Photo by Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
During the past 50 years, the balance of power between the three is almost equal. A Republican sat in the White House for 26 of them, they held a majority in the Senate for 30 years, while the Democrats controlled the House for 28. Almost always, the balance of power shifts after elections every two years.
A country that relies on another, which has a divided body politic, must maintain good relations with all the players. For decades, Israel's leaders and representatives were careful to display this parity. The prime minister spoke to the speaker of the House? He had a parallel conversation with the minority leader - neutrality was visibly maintained.
Congressman Tom Lantos was one of Israel's greatest friends in Congress and was popular in his district, so his seat was safe. After a meeting in his office, he asked me to accompany him to a fundraiser in an adjacent building. Careful to avoid any step that could be interpreted as supporting a candidate, meaning interfering in the elections, I did not enter with him and we parted at the door.
Tova HerzlThis principle dissipated under Netanyahu. The first major public expression was in 2012, during a visit of Mitt Romney who was running against President Barack Obama. Romney (heavily supported by Sheldon Adelson) received an unprecedented welcome – it was clear that Israel preferred him. Obama won, much to the joy of the majority of America's Jews who vote Democrat, and are troubled by Israel's visible preference for Republicans.
It is too early to know what will happen in November, and this is not the place to compare candidates. But lose or win, both will wield influence over their parties in the coming years and Israel needs the support of both houses. In light of that, openly preferring one side in America's political divide is shortsighted and likely to harm Israel in the long term.
- Tova Herzl is a former Israeli ambassador to South Africa and the Baltic countries, and served as liaison between the U.S. Congress at the Israeli Embassy in Washington