And yet, in many ways, the United States is treating the Jewish State as if it were. All along Pennsylvania Avenue, from the White House to the State Department to the Department of Defense, American officials — elected and appointed, are convinced that they know what is best for Israel. That they know better than Israel.
They do not!
One can disagree with the leader Israelis elected to serve as their prime minister. One can disagree with how he cobbled together his coalition. But one must always remember that Israeli elections are democratic elections. And no one can honestly deny that it was a fair election and that it was an unquestioned election.
It was democracy at work. And just because one disagrees with the victor do not try to paint them as nondemocratic.
Israel must do what is in Israel’s best interest.
Israeli leadership will act to secure its citizens in the here and now and for the future. It doesn’t matter who the leader is — be it Netanyahu or anyone else. And it doesn’t matter what the White House strongly suggests or urges or pressures diplomatically.
To think otherwise is simply folly.
The United States and Israel have been friends since the creation of the state. And giving cover to Israel at the United Nations and in the international community is the right thing for America to do. It is strategically, morally and ethically correct.
Other countries should be supporting Israel as many did at the beginning of the Israel’s War with Gaza, just after the Oct 7. But as the days ticked by, some countries lost patience with Israel. The United States should never be added to that list.
The United States should not be pressuring Israel to stop a war it did not want, if stopped now, will without a doubt result in the deaths of thousands more Israelis.
Here is the AXIOM in Israel’s decision-making process: Israel will not stop until they are 100% convinced that Hamas will not perpetrate another massacre. Israel will not stop short of that goal.
That is why Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected a Hamas proposal for a ceasefire which keeps Hamas in power and standing. And why he rejected earlier proposals. And why he may very well reject future proposals that favor Hamas.
The diplomatic world understands that it takes time and effort to achieve real change — except when it effects the Jewish State. For some mysterious reason, those same people believe that with a snap of their fingers very difficult objectives, like defanging Hamas, can be instantaneously achieved.
The President of the United States ended a phone call with the Prime Minister of Israel by saying “this conversation is over” and hung up. And it was. For about a month the two, who until then spoke almost every day, did not speak.
And now that they are speaking again what is the president suggesting? He is suggesting that Israel double check and re-think the targets it is hitting. That’s called chutzpah.
The White House is now telling Israel it is “time to scaleback.” Telling them in person and on the international airwaves.
Why? Because the U.S. needs the international community to witness that they are attempting to rein Israel in. And so, speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. has been speaking to Israel “about a transition to low-intensity operations.”
Kirby said: “We believe it’s the right time for that transition. And we’re talking to them about doing that.” Israeli intelligence and military leadership disagrees.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned Israel of “a tactical victory with a strategic defeat” if Israel failed to protect innocent civilians. He said it would risk “driving them into the arms of the enemy.”
Austin was thinking only of the innocent Palestinian citizens that Hamas cares nothing about. Not the innocent Israeli citizens that Hamas so enjoys massacring, raping, burning and taking as hostage.
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris spoke forcefully at the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai and said: “too many innocent Palestinians have been killed” and added: “International humanitarian law must be respected.” Which, in truth, is just what Israel is doing.
And in a meeting with Egypt’s president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, Harris said: “Under no circumstances will the United States permit the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, the besiegement of Gaza, or the redrawing of the borders of Gaza.”
These are dictates — not suggestions nor counsel!
The goal — and they all know this, is for a situation in which Hamas is no longer able to threaten Israel and Palestinians are able to govern themselves by duly elected leaders for whom the golden path does not lead to terror.
That’s what Israel’s friend, the United States, should be working toward. Not toward their other agenda of ousting the sitting prime minister. And certainly, not in the midst of a war that threatens the very existence of the country he leads.
Israel is not a banana republic. Remember that. Treat the Jewish State’s wartime decision-making with the respect it deserves.
Micah Halpern is a political and foreign affairs commentator. He founded "The Micah Report" and hosts "Thinking Out Loud with Micah Halpern," a weekly TV program, and "My Chopp," a daily radio spot. Follow him on Twitter @MicahHalpern. Read Micah Halpern's Reports — More Here.