By Halie Soifer
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the head of a Jewish Democratic organization, the last place I expected to be invited was the Trump White House. But my attendance this week at the Israeli Embassy-hosted reception for Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Blair House felt more important than ever before. While we may disagree on some policies, Democrats should be in the room with the Israeli Prime Minister when he visits Washington, demonstrating that support of the U.S.-Israel relationship remains bipartisan. I was glad to see the Prime Minister meet with a bipartisan group of Senate leaders this week, and was proud to join him at a reception with Jewish and Evangelical leaders.
U.S. policy toward Israel shouldn’t be defined by our faith or politics, which may sound ironic coming from the head of a Jewish Democratic organization. But some of what I witnessed at this week’s event with the Prime Minister was different from anything I had ever seen before. Televangelist turned White House Faith Advisor Pastor Paula White’s portrayal of the “covenant commitment” between Trump and Netanyahu felt out of step with decades of U.S. foreign policy. America’s relationship with Israel has always been based on shared interests and values, not being “on the right side of history and the right side of God,” as Pastor White declared while introducing Netanyahu.
In addition to the Christian Nationalist approach of this White House to most issues, including Israel, I’m troubled that President Trump continues to politicize the U.S.-Israel relationship, making it appear self-serving and transactional. Prime Minister Netanyahu fed into that during his visit with his obsequious Nobel Peace Prize nomination of Trump. Meanwhile, Trump continued to denigrate Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer while Netanyahu was in town, calling him a “Palestinian” as a slur and falsely claiming that Schumer – the highest-ranking Jewish American elected official in history – has “abandoned the Jews.”
There are some Democrats, including Jewish Democrats, who support cuts, conditions, and restrictions on aid to Israel. Importantly, this is not the position of the majority of Democrats, Democratic Leadership, JDCA, or the Democratic Party itself. In fact, the Democratic Party Platform adopted last year, which I was proud to help shape with testimony before the Platform Drafting Committee, is ironclad in its support of Israel.
Historically, American support for Israel’s security has been strong on both sides of the aisle. That continues to this day, with some exceptions. This week, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she intended to cut $500 million in annual military assistance to Israel from the Pentagon’s budget. Rep. Greene joins a small group of Republicans, including Rep. Thomas Massie, calling for cuts to military aid to Israel. While President Trump and other Republicans continue to claim Democrats are weakening their support of Israel, the truth is that there is a small handful of elected officials from both parties calling for cuts to or freezes of aid to Israel.
The vast majority of members of Congress are following the example set forth by President Biden, who declared in the immediate aftermath of October 7 that, “In the days ahead, we’re going to continue to work closely with our partners in Israel and around the world to ensure Israel has what it needs to defend its citizens and cities and to respond to these attacks…my commitment to Israel’s security and the safety of the Jewish people is unshakable.” Since then, Congress approved an exponential increase in U.S. military assistance for Israel, providing approximately $15 billion in the year following October 7, to ensure that Israel had all it needed to defend itself. This assistance has been essential in building Israel’s capability to intercept ballistic missiles, rockets, and drones, and degrade and defeat Iranian proxies on its borders.
We’ve been grateful to see a continuation of this support, including the deployment of the U.S. military and resources to the region to help defend Israel against Iranian missiles during its 12-day war. At the Blair House reception, Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked and recognized outgoing CENTCOM Commander General Krilla for his “truly remarkable” leadership defending American and Israeli interests against the threat posed by Iran, and for leading the U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. These strikes, while not a complete “obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear capability, as Trump falsely claimed, appear to have set back the Iranian nuclear program by up to two years, according to a recent Pentagon report.
Recognition of the vitally important U.S.-Israel military relationship, which has been critical in saving lives, was well-deserved. I also appreciated the Prime Minister’s emphasis on achieving a deal with Hamas that would include the release of the remaining 50 hostages, whose many family members were called on stage at the event. While many Israelis believe the Prime Minister dragged his feet for too long achieving a hostage deal, he reported from the podium that the latest round of negotiations is underway in Doha, and they may achieve an agreement in the near term. With the war in Gaza entering its third year in just three months, it’s long past time to bring them all home and end this war.
The U.S.-Israel relationship should not be defined by which political party, U.S. president, or Israeli prime minister is in power. It should continue to be rooted in the nearly eight-decade history of deep ties between our two nations and peoples, as well as shared security interests, which must supersede our politics. And although Israel is a Jewish state, U.S. foreign policy should not be shaped by religious beliefs either. We should focus on the fundamentals – such as our shared national security interests – and ensure that bipartisan support for Israel continues.
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Halie Soifer is the chief executive officer of the Jewish Democratic Council of America.
Who is this author trying to fool?
Just a third of Democrats have a favorable view of Israel, a steep decline from just a few years ago, according to a recent Gallup poll.