Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Washington Monday night , in the midst of a political shake-up in the United States following the announcement by U.S. President Joe Biden that he will not run in the upcoming presidential race . In an interview with Ynet on Tuesday, Israel's ambassador to Washington, Mike Herzog, claimed that, despite the preoccupation with domestic American politics, there will be a lot of attention paid to Netanyahu's visit and the Iranian issue.
"On the bilateral level between Israel and the United States, there is a whole world of issues on the agenda, which do not wait and cannot wait, and these issues will be discussed here during the prime minister's visit," said Herzog from Washington. "The prime minister is coming here when Israel has been in a severe war for over nine months. However, the strategic focus of the visit is the Iranian axis."
Netanyahu's visit drew a lot of criticism from some of the families of the hostages being held in Gaza, who fear that the prime minister's trip to Washington during negotiations for a hostage return and cease-fire deal will harm its chances of being realized. This is alongside the concern that Biden's withdrawal from the race will reduce the pressure he will continue to exert on Netanyahu to reach a deal.
"Biden personally and his administration are very, very interested in the deal and are invested in it," said Israel's ambassador in Washington. "I think Biden also will want this to be part of his legacy, so I think they will continue to focus on it as a high priority. Biden has a strategic interest, and I think also a political one, to promote it, and the interest has not diminished."
During his visit, Netanyahu is expected to meet both with the incumbent president and with the person who is emerging as the Democratic candidate in the race, Biden's vice president, Kamala Harris. Herzog addressed the Israeli concern about her entering the Oval Office.
"First of all, I think there are few Zionists in American politics like Biden. It comes from his heart, from his gut, he proudly defines himself as a Zionist, and I think that throughout his life in American politics, he was a great supporter of the State of Israel," Herzog said.
"As for Kamala Harris, overall her record is positive, and she has often expressed support for the State of Israel, and support for American aid to Israel," he explained. "And at the same time, in recent months she has made quite a few problematic statements in the context of the war in Gaza. I think we also felt the influence of the more progressive camp in the Democratic Party there, and we felt it more as the political season here heated up. Is this something that will continue to follow us in the future as well? We will have to see and of course have a dialogue with her about these things."
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Vice President and presumptive Democratic party candidate for president Kamala Harris
(Photo: Erin Schaff / POOL / AFP)
Biden's withdrawal from the race also raises concerns about the rise of the progressive camp within the Democratic Party, which is known for its harsh criticism of Israel. "This camp is loud and aggressive, but it is not the majority in the party," Herzog reassured. "It depends on variables such as who she will choose to run with her as vice president. Some of the names mentioned are very, very pro-Israel."
"I will point out that recently the Democratic Party formulated its platform," said the ambassador. "Whoever reads this platform sees that there are no significant changes compared to the party's traditional positions on our affairs. It is a complex picture, it has lights and shadows."
Herzog also addressed the issue of a meeting between Netanyahu and Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump: "I will note that, historically, it has always been acceptable to meet with the two candidates of the rival parties in elections in the United States. This has also been done in past years."