Despite profound disagreements with the next prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and potential worries the Biden administration may have regarding members of his right-wing coalition, Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared on Sunday that the U.S. would continue to back Israel unwaveringly.
Blinken said in a speech to a left-leaning group that the United States will remain a steadfast ally of Israel even as it pursues objectives that Netanyahu has opposed, such as reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and finding a two-state agreement to the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
Those on the right charge this group with having too much sympathy for Iran and the Palestinians.
The unwavering U.S. commitment to Israel’s security, which has never been stronger than it is now, has always served as the foundation for the US-Israel cooperation and everything it has created for the people of our countries and the rest of the world, he added.
Blinken stated that the Biden administration would deal with Netanyahu’s administration based on its policies rather than its members’ personalities, even prospective senior Cabinet members who have previously voiced strident anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab opinions.
Blinken cautioned that the U.S. would oppose measures that marginalize Palestinians, reduce their prospects for success, or make a two-state solution more challenging. Still, he did not go so far as to say they would be unpopular. The security or future of Israel as a Jewish democratic state, he claimed, would be adversely affected by such.
He continued further stating that as with previous Israeli governments, the new Israeli administration will work with them to further their shared values.
We shall evaluate the government based on its policies rather than specific individuals. However, the mutual norms we have set in our relationship over the previous seven decades will be applied, Blinken stated.
The potential inclusion of at least two right-wing Israeli legislators, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, in Netanyahu’s government has already alarmed U.S. officials.
The position of national security minister, a strong position that will place him in charge of Israel’s police force, has been offered to Ben-Gvir, a politician notorious for his anti-Arab rhetoric and aggressive acts. In addition, oversight of the Israeli agency for Palestinian civil affairs has been entrusted to Smotrich, the leader of the Religious Zionism party, which has anti-Palestinian and anti-gay beliefs.
Blinken pointed out that the U.S. and Israel have had a connection for seven decades and that the Biden administration would be open with the Palestinians and the next Israeli government, who he said must also refrain from inciting tensions that threaten a two-state solution.
He emphasized that the Biden administration is striving to expand former President Donald Trump’s Abraham Accords, which saw several Arab countries reestablish relations with Israel, and that it continues to back Jerusalem, which was acknowledged as Israel’s capital by their predecessors. He commended Israel and Lebanon for just agreeing on their maritime border.
At the J Street annual conference, Blinken made his remake. J Street is a pro-Israel organization that has set itself apart from the much older and larger American Israel Public Affairs Committee by advocating for policies that the Democratic party frequently backs.