Netanyahu Came to Washington to Convince… But Whom?

Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Kamala Harris, but in private, perhaps he will be allowed to meet with Biden, but, apparently, the main meeting will be with Trump.

The visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United States to address the American Congress has been planned for a long time. Netanyahu has already done this once, when, at the invitation of the Republicans, under Obama (with Obama’s obvious displeasure) he tried to convince Congress to block the Iran deal. In the context of the ongoing (and expanding) Middle East crisis and growing criticism of Netanyahu’s policies in the world, Israel and the United States, the Israeli prime minister tried to do this again.

He understood that this time things would not go so smoothly. A fairly large number of Democratic legislators said they would boycott the speech. Plus, for quite a long time it was not possible to agree on the format of the meeting with President Biden — either a private informal meeting, or an official business reception. Something was decided, but different versions of the nature of the meeting leaked to the press. And now Netanyahu flies to Washington, and there’s this… I must say, Bibi quickly found his bearings. He demanded a meeting with Harris and Trump. And, of course, everyone in the White House and the State Department is irritated by the fact that Netanyahu will meet with Donald Trump, and on Wednesday, the same day that he will address the American Congress.

This clearly places some emphasis. Meanwhile, left-wing Democrats remain determined. As they say, “pro-Palestinian” and “for peace and against genocide.” Netanyahu calls this “anti-Semitism.”

In general, the previous order is not expected. In this regard, the Speaker of the House of Representatives (the official host of the event with Chief Speaker Netanyahu) announced that he would implement a zero-tolerance policy for disturbances on the House floor. But it is unlikely that all surprises will be avoided. Kamala Harris will meet with Netanyahu, but “later this week” as she is currently busy with the election campaign.

In this regard, she will not be in Congress on Wednesday, when the Israeli prime minister will speak there. However, the meeting is reported to be private. According to an aide to Kamala Harris, the vice president and likely Democratic presidential nominee “plans to reaffirm her commitment to Israel’s security and right to self-defense, and to express her view that the time has come to end the war in a way that keeps Israel in security, all hostages were released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza ended, and the Palestinian people could exercise their right to dignity, freedom and self-determination.” It is not yet known for certain whether Netanyahu will meet with Biden. By the way, about Trump’s position. Don’t think that the 45th (and possible 47th) President of the United States will be the same as in 2017-21 — do for Israel and Netanyahu almost everything he asks.

Judging by the interview that Trump gave to Bloomberg, he has on his mind the maximum reduction of the American presence in many regions of the world, with the exception of the Indo-Pacific. Trump even made a reservation that a “different” deal with Iran was possible. I also note that Jared Kushner (his son-in-law), who was previously very close to Trump, the author of the Abraham Accords between Israel and the Gulf monarchies, a big supporter of Israel and Netanyahu personally, did not speak at the election conference, sat on the Trump podium in the second row and was not seen in among Trump’s closest advisers in 2024. In general, Bibi Netanyahu’s desperate rush to Washington may end in different ways, but he definitely shouldn’t expect complete success.