Sources close to the lobby indicated that the administration of US President Joe Biden is "very upset" with the American Jewish groups for not coming out forcefully before the Israeli elections against the racist/fascist politician Itamar Ben Gvir and his political party. According to David Makovsky, a former assistant at the State Department and one of the most powerful figures in the Israel lobby in Washington, he serves as a senior official at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Israel lobby´s premier think tank.
It is noteworthy that Ben Gvir´s far-right party, known as "Religious Zionism", received the third largest vote in the November 1 elections (last Tuesday), with 14 parliamentary seats, which qualifies it to restore Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister.
"No one wanted to talk about this publicly, but I know there were a lot of people in the Biden administration who were... Particularly very upset. They that the American Jewish community had been silent about Ben Gvir in the run-up to the Israeli elections. But I think a lot of people also felt that this would play into Ben Gvir´s favour, and that he would say I am an underdog against a group of people.
Since the election, several pro-Israel Jewish groups have issued statements expressing concern about the inclusion of the racist party, but they also congratulated judged on his return and indicated that they were happy to do business as usual with the "Jewish state."
Even the liberal anti-Netanyahu J Street organization issued a statement respecting the results while condemning the religious Zionism party, and no clear statements from American Jewish organizations condemning the new alliance were issued, except for the “Americans for Peace Now,” which said in a statement that they would boycott the Israeli government. And they will refuse to meet her, if it includes Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich and their racist factions.
Makovsky and his well-known colleague, Ambassador Dennis Ross who served as the US envoy for Palestinian-Israeli negotiations for decades and known as the "Israel Advocate" in Washington initially took a similar approach to Americans for Peace Now, writing after the election on the website of the Washington Institute for East Policy. Nearly, Netanyahu should form a broad-based government that excludes the religious Zionism party, because inclusion of the party would arm Israel.
According to Philip Weiss, from the website "Mondowise" that monitors and publishes the actions of the Israel lobby in Washington, Makovsky managed to wrap his head around the religious Zionism (party) on Friday, and said that "the party is likely to be entrenched in the new government, the best we can hope for." His point is that international pressure would prevent nomination from giving Ben Gvir a police ministry or any other portfolio dealing with “security” issues related to the Palestinians – whom Ben Gvir openly despised and mocked.” (Makovsky) noting that in the coming days, “Netanyahu will appear the sense of not giving Ben Gvir, who has been convicted several times of incitement against the Palestinians, any authority over the most burning issue in the Middle East - the Israeli encroachment on the Noble Sanctuary,
Makovsky believes that it is likely that the US government will treat Ben Gvir and the rest of his party as it did Ariel Sharon, then Israel´s defense minister, after the 1982 Sabra and Shatila in Beirut, when Sharon was found responsible for allowing the killing of several hundred or thousands of Palestinians. Makovsky said that the US government boycotted Sharon for 16 years until he became foreign minister under Netanyahu, and then the United States met him again.
Last Wednesday, Al-Quds.com´s correspondent asked the US State Department´s spokesperson, Ned Price, whether the Biden administration would refuse to meet with Ben Gvir, as it did with Sharon, but Price refused a definitive response, saying that he would not He speculates on matters that are still abstract (regarding the makeup of the next Israeli government).
Makovsky, making excuses for Israel as always, said the "best hope" was for the US to treat the religious Zionism party as "Ben Gvir´s character... It´s Ben Gvir´s problem. It´s not a problem with the State of Israel or the government of Israel" without He explains how this is done, emphasizing that "this seems to me from Israel´s point of view of a great achievement if that happens."
Makovsky went to Israel, and said the country is "resilient" and has survived much worse challenges, and will survive Ben Gvir as well.
Makovsky said the US government would likely treat Ben Gvir and the rest of his party as it did Ariel Sharon, then Israel´s defense minister, after the 1982 Sabra and Shatila mosque in Beirut, when Sharon was found responsible for allowing the killing of several hundred or thousands of Palestinians. Makovsky said that the US government boycotted Sharon for 16 years until he became foreign minister under Netanyahu. Then the United States met him again.
Making excuses to Israel as always, he added, "the best hope" is for the US to treat the religious Zionism party as "Ben Gvir´s character... It´s Ben Gvir´s problem. It´s not a problem with the State of Israel or the government of Israel." The United States will then begin to engage with the rest of the government.
"This seems to me, from Israel´s point of view, a great achievement if that happens," Makovsky continued.
And it seems like this among the Israeli lobby circles that say “Ben Gvir is a bad figure” but he is not the Israeli government, as the “American Jewish Committee” published a day after the elections: “The American Jewish Committee looks forward to working again closely with Mr. requests to enhance Israel´s security.” and its place in the world, strengthening the deep ties between Israel and the Jewish diaspora, and amplifying the common values ​​that unite Israel, the United States, and our democratic allies.
