Prime Minister Netanyahu Departs for Washington, Seeking Bipartisan Support

Latest Developments

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Washington on a scheduled visit on July 22, one day after President Joe Biden announced his exit from the 2024 presidential race. Netanyahu is scheduled to address both houses of Congress on July 24, where he “will seek to anchor” bipartisan support for Israel. “I will tell my friends on both sides of the aisle that regardless who the American people choose as their next president, Israel remains America’s indispensable and strong ally in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said in remarks before his departure. Netanyahu also plans to discuss “goals that are important for both of our countries,” including “achieving the release of all our hostages, defeating Hamas, confronting the terror axis of Iran and its proxies, and ensuring that all Israeli citizens return safely to their homes in the north and the south.”

Expert Analysis

“Strong U.S.-Israel relations have demonstrably served the national security interests of both countries since Israel’s establishment, because they share core values and face common enemies together. Disputes between allies are not unusual. But Congress and the Biden administration both have demonstrated in concrete ways — especially since October 7 — that Israel’s core values and the country’s strategic value to the U.S. must supersede any disagreements.” — Toby Dershowitz, Managing Director of FDD Action

“Americans have overwhelmingly stood by Israel over the last nine months with Congress appropriating billions of dollars in emergency support. Congress will want to hear about the progress made in dismantling Hamas in Gaza, what it will take to prevent the re-emergence of Hamas control, and what more is needed to defeat other Iranian-sponsored fronts, including Hezbollah and the Houthis.” — Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor

U.S.-Israel Relationship Weathers Rough Patch Amid War in Gaza

Senior Israeli officials canceled a planned trip to Washington in March after the United States abstained from a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution that undermined Israeli objectives. “Regrettably, the United States did not veto the new resolution, which calls for a ceasefire that is not contingent on the release of hostages,” Netanyahu’s office stated on March 25. “This constitutes a clear departure from the consistent U.S. position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war.”

In May, the Biden administration announced that it was pausing weapons shipments to Israel over Israel’s planned military operation in Rafah. That announcement received bipartisan backlash in Congress, with 26 Democrats sending a letter to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan urging the administration to fulfill Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel. Additionally, Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, introduced legislation that prohibits the Biden administration from withholding, halting, reversing, or otherwise canceling “the delivery of defense articles and defense services from the United States to Israel.”

In June, the Biden administration reportedly told Israel not to respond to Iran-backed Hezbollah’s escalating attacks, warning that a ground invasion into Lebanon risks drawing in Iran. According to Axios, Washington told Jerusalem that pursuing a “limited” or “small regional war” to defend against Hezbollah could compel “militants from pro-Iranian militias in Syria, Iraq, and even Yemen” to flood Lebanon.

Related Analysis

“Biden Turns on Israel,” by Clifford D. May

“Biden Blocks Arms to Israel While Promising Future Support,” FDD Flash Brief

“U.S. Abstains From Ceasefire Resolution at UN Security Council,” FDD Flash Brief