Blinken in Israel
Secretary of State Tony Blinken landed in Israel this morning,?where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?at the Defense Ministry’s headquarters in Tel Aviv before sitting down this afternoon with Israel’s war cabinet. Blinken has spent the last several days in the region amid talks aimed at securing a temporary cease-fire and the release of the remaining hostages.?
The secretary’s trip to Israel comes amid ongoing disagreements?between the Biden administration and the Israeli government over a looming operation in Rafah, and days before Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is set to travel to Washington to discuss Israel’s plans with top U.S. officials. In Cairo yesterday, Blinken?said?that a large-scale Israeli operation in Rafah is “unnecessary” to defeat Hamas and would be a “mistake.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) suggested yesterday?that he’s open to welcoming Netanyahu to address a full meeting of the House and Senate, as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) confirmed his plans to issue such an invitation,?Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Schumer said in a statement,?“Israel has no stronger ally than the United States and our relationship transcends any one president or any one Prime Minister. I will always welcome the opportunity for the Prime Minister of Israel to speak to Congress in a bipartisan way,” although a spokesperson said that Johnson hadn’t discussed the subject with Schumer as of Thursday morning. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said he hasn’t been consulted either.
With a growing number of Democrats pinning blame on Netanyahu?for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and rejecting his handling of the war against Hamas, the prospect of a speech by the Israeli prime minister to Congress could be politically explosive, hearkening back to Netanyahu’s 2015 address to a joint session of Congress, when the prime minister condemned the nuclear talks with Iran that would months later result in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. A significant number of progressive Democrats would likely boycott the speech.
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), a vocal supporter of Israel who attended Netanyahu’s 2015 address,?told?Politico?yesterday, “I would hope he would not come. I think it would not be helpful for Israel’s interests.”
领英推荐
But Schumer’s openness to a speech would seem to mark?a political victory for Netanyahu, amid the ongoing fallout from Schumer’s speech calling for new elections in Israel and Netanyahu’s ouster. Notably, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who’s been critical of Israel’s conduct in Gaza,?distanced himself?from Schumer’s call for new leadership in Israel, and?many Senate Democrats?with competitive races in November have declined to weigh in.?Read more here.
While the debate over Israel has overtaken the highest offices in Washington, a new Pew poll?indicates?that, despite months of headlines and ongoing debates on social media, many Americans don’t feel they have enough knowledge about the Israel-Hamas war to weigh in. A plurality of respondents (43%) said they are not following the war too closely, or at all. That percentage increases when looking only at young Americans —?58% of respondents between the ages of 18-29 said that they are not following the war, or if they are, in a very limited fashion.
Nonetheless, a majority of those polled (58%)?said Israel’s reasons for fighting the terror group are valid. Two-thirds (66%) of respondents said that the way that Hamas carried out the Oct. 7 terror attacks was completely unacceptable. And while 46% of young adults aged 18-29 think that Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attacks is unacceptable, a majority of the same demographic (58%) think that the way Hamas carried out the attacks was unacceptable.?
Notably, there is no clear consensus among respondents?as to the role the U.S. should play in the war. Across age demographics, a plurality of those surveyed said they were not sure if the Biden administration is striking the right balance in the war, though a majority (55%) say the U.S. should take some role in diplomatic efforts to end the war.