Posted on 03/27/22
| News Source: Arutz-7
Senior Israeli politicians have been exerting great efforts over the past two weeks to prevent an acute crisis with the United States, following harsh criticism from many senior American officials regarding Israel's position in the war in Ukraine.
Now a report in the Israel Hayom newspaper suggests that for the first time during the current situation, serious reservations regarding Israel's policy are also being expressed by some of Israel's greatest supporters in the Republican Party.
These include Senator Lindsay Graham, a longtime supporter of Israel and the only senior American official who has publicly criticized Jerusalem's quasi-neutral stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Aside from Graham, many other U.S. lawmakers have expressed their concerns in closed talks, making known their strong objections to Israel's approach, its refusal to join in sanctions on Russia, and what they view as a conciliatory approach to Russian "aggression."
Among the senior officials named in Israel Hayom's report are Senator Ted Cruz, one of Israel's greatest supporters on Capitol Hill; and Republican minority leader in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, who on the eve of the war visited Israel at the head of a large delegation of members of Congress. Their criticisms were allegedly expressed in closed conversations between senators and members of Congress and advisers as well as with pro-Israel elements on Capitol Hill.
In order to moderate the criticism and prevent it from being revealed in public, a number of discussions were held last week between Israeli officials and senior members of Congress and the Senate. According to Israel Hayom, at least one of these discussions talks lasted an hour.
Israeli officials are endeavoring to explain the various considerations that have led Israel to adopt a lukewarm stance in comparison to other Western countries toward Russia. They are stressing the importance of Israel's freedom of action in Syria, Prime Minister Bennett's attempt to play the role of mediator between Russia and Ukraine, and the fact that Israel has no law governing sanctions.
A senior adviser on Capitol Hill has indicated that the Israeli explanations have so far been effective, enhancing understanding of Israel's position and preventing criticism from slipping out. He cautioned however, that there are still significant gaps between the way the war is perceived in the United States and the way Israelis perceive it, and this assessment is one shared by Washington officials.
One adviser to Congress who is perceived as pro-Israel noted that in the United States, the feeling is that a third World War has broken out - the worst possible scenario - with Putin being portrayed virtually as a Nazi. He added that this is the prevailing atmosphere in the entire political system in the United States, "On both sides of the political divide."
"In such an unprecedented state of emergency, both parties expected Israel, as well as other US allies, to take an unequivocal stance towards Russia," he noted. "Those senior officials do not understand how it is possible that Israel is not unequivocally adopting Western policy, including participating in sanctions."
Another American source pointed to the fact that public criticism of Israel has, so far, been rare, indicating a level of understanding of Israel's sensitive position. "Even so, the gut feeling is one of unease with Israel's approach at such a dramatic moment in history," he said.