Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finished his weeklong visit to the United States earlier this week. He had a full schedule centered around his very consequential meetings with President Donald Trump, followed by a variety of meetings, receptions and visits with the vice president, top White House and Cabinet officials, congressional leaders, evangelical leaders and journalists.
Conspicuously absent from Netanyahu’s schedule were meetings with American Jewish leaders. This is even though Netanyahu’s U.S. visit was extended by several days. It is striking that Netanyahu didn’t have the time or interest in meeting with the leadership of the world’s second largest Jewish population and the most vocal and successful architects of political and financial support for the state of Israel.
We are concerned by the prime minister’s disturbing lack of hakarat hatov — the fundamental Jewish principle of recognizing and acknowledging the good others do for you.
While we understand that Netanyahu has had strained relationships with many American Jewish leaders over many issues — most recently, over issues such as the Western Wall compromise, expanded and confrontational settler activity, the Haredi draft and judicial reform — those disagreements have never stood in the way of America’s organized Jewish community coming out in full force in support of the Jewish state in times of need and otherwise, raising billions of dollars in support of Israel and its citizens and unifying divergent political interests in support of the Jewish state.
We expected a similar effort, reflecting political and social sophistication from the prime minister. He has been at this game for a long time. He knows the rules of engagement and he knows that he is expected to rise above politics, policy differences, and even personal animus in showing respect and appreciation for a community that has done so much over so many years to sustain, support and nurture the state of Israel.
And yet, he didn’t do it. Instead, he snubbed his country’s most ardent and committed supporters out of what appears to be nothing more than personal pique. That’s disappointing on several levels.
In truth, America’s Jewish leaders didn’t need another meeting with Netanyahu — even if they would have appreciated an “attaboy” for their Herculean efforts in support of Israel since Oct. 7 and some encouragement in support of their efforts to combat rising antisemitism. Instead, it is Netanyahu who needed a meeting with American Jewish leaders. His failure to schedule such a meeting was a squandered opportunity.
Netanyahu may be riding high on the warm embrace of the Trump administration, Republican leadership and the Israeli faithful evangelical community. But he is well aware of the erosion of support for Israel in numerous segments of American society. Netanyahu and the state of Israel need a lot of help with those populations and they can’t get there themselves.
America’s Jewish leaders are the people that Israel and its leaders turn to for assistance and support in times of need. That will inevitably happen again. The good news is that our leaders will be there. ■
Who wrote this?
Jewish American support should not be contingent on whether the Israeli prime minister meets with specific Jewish leaders. That is childish and stupid. If Jewish support for Israel is eroding, Jewish leaders in the US need to fix that, rather than expect the Israeli Prime Minister, who has quite a bit to manage right now, to do it for them.
I certainly do not know every meeting PM Netanyahu had, but I know he met with Jewish students who have been fighting against the rising tide of antisemitism on college campuses. Does he need to meet with big wigs/egos to make the Jewish group count? Or is it enough that he met with the next generation, the one currently on the front lines fighting for Jewish Americans and Israelis?
The very definition of irony: the very people who have called for Netanyahu’s removal from office are now upset because he won’t meet with them?
Maybe there’s a price to pay for hate, irrational hate directed at Netanyahu at a time of an existential attack on Israel and it’s leader.