Opinion: Congress cannot afford to ignore Netanyahu’s embrace of the far right
By Chris Van Hollen and Gerald E. Connolly April 10 Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, represents Maryland in the U.S. Senate. Gerald E. Connolly, a Democrat, represents Virginia’s 11th Congressional District in the House of Representatives.
Netanyahu’s full-throated embrace of the far right’s extreme agenda has placed him on a dangerous track that is not in the interest of Israel, the Palestinians or the United States. As longtime supporters of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, we are deeply concerned about recent developments. If enacted, these policies would fundamentally change the character of Israel, undermine basic Palestinian human rights and violate long-held policies and values adopted by U.S.
These developments have not taken place in a vacuum. They have been recklessly aided and abetted by President Trump, whose indiscriminate support for Netanyahu and the Israeli far right has been characterized by total disregard for long-standing U.S. policy, international law and regional stability. The administration’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem outside of a negotiated framework, close the U.S.
We have both strongly supported defense cooperation and security assistance to Israel, including the agreement reached by President Barack Obama to provide Israel with about $38 billion in security assistance over the next 10 years. We have always viewed this support as critical to ensuring that Israel can defend itself against the threats it faces throughout the region — and with the expectation that it would enable Israel to make the difficult compromises necessary for peace.
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