Looking to return to power in November parliamentary elections, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is escalating his criticisms of Prime Minister Yair Lapid‘s caretaker government.
The polls suggest Netanyahu’s likely coalition bloc will win the most seats in the Knesset. To get the magic 61-seat majority, Netanyahu is taking off the gloves. He has a score to settle with his former right-wing ally-turned-prime minister replacement, Naftali Bennett. Netanyahu’s heated campaign rhetoric is understandable. Israel is a vibrant democracy in which many parties jockey for a relatively small but all-powerful bloc of independent voters. What is less understandable, at least from a U.S. interest perspective, is why Netanyahu is so gleefully sympathetic to Russia and China.
Take Netanyahu’s latest comments on Russia. Criticizing Lapid’s government for “amateurism, irresponsibility and arrogance” toward Russia, Netanyahu this week claimed he instead had a “measured, balanced and responsible relationship” with Moscow. Netanyahu is angry with Lapid for criticizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Netanyahu has had no such criticism of President Vladimir Putin.
At first glance, Netanyahu’s approach makes some sense. After all, Israel has a critical national security interest in maintaining Russian cooperation in Syria.
This reflects Israel’s concern over Iranian missiles and associated terrorist activity through Syria close to its northern border. Although a patron of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Russia has tolerated Israeli air strikes and other covert actions in Syria. I understand that Russia has occasionally even provided Israel with intelligence to assist in its targeting. Israel obviously wants that cooperation to continue. However, since Lapid’s condemnation of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Moscow has retaliated. In May, Russian air defense systems even fired on Israeli jets over Syria (they missed, as was likely the intent). But the message was clear: We’re not happy.
That said, there’s a pathetic quality to Netanyahu’s latest kowtowing to the Kremlin. For example, consider that it follows Russia’s move last week to shut down the Jewish Agency, an organization that helps Russian Jews emigrate to Israel. The Kremlin’s effort to liquidate the Jewish Agency is a plainly antisemitic response to Israel’s condemnation of the war in Ukraine. Yet instead of playing hardball with Putin, Netanyahu excuses its moral injustice and condemns his own countrymen.
Unfortunately, Netanyahu’s obsequiousness toward this preeminent American adversary isn’t an exception. Instead, it represents just one side of a political coin.
Take Netanyahu’s stance toward Communist China.
As prime minister in 2017, Netanyahu called on Chinese leader Xi Jinping to take a more prominent place “on the world stage.” He added, “We are your perfect junior partner for that effort. … I believe this is a marriage made in heaven.” Largely ignoring U.S. security concerns even as he demanded further U.S. security support, Netanyahu’s tenure saw China advancing very significant technology links with Israeli companies. These links strengthened the People’s Liberation Army and thus endangered U.S. military lives. It was not until then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo read Netanyahu the riot act in 2020 that Bibi began paring back China’s tech tentacles. But as Bloomberg noted earlier this month, it was only when Bennett entered office in June 2021 that Israel truly began taking U.S. security concerns over China seriously.
As Netanyahu looks to reenter office, Americans should be wary. Israel is an exceptionally important American friend. Bennett and Lapid have sought to reflect this understanding in their foreign policies while raising legitimate concerns with the Biden administration over its policies on counterterrorism and Iranian nuclear proliferation.
He seems determined to balance American interests alongside those of Beijing and Moscow. Let’s not ignore it.
