In my QJL column “Chuck the Speech” (March 28, 2024), I wrote, “Even if Schumer had been right on the merits, he was wrong on the timing. There is a time and place to say something. This was the wrong time and place. Hamas sees what we are seeing. There has been a continuous erosion of support for Israel worldwide and especially in the United States. Hamas has no incentive to make any deal since the longer it goes on the worse it gets for Israel. Schumer’s speech plays into this narrative. This is the same person who months ago made a strong pro-Israel speech and has now changed his tune.”
These same sentiments apply to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who, in a video in English released on June 16, mentioned that he told Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that “it’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions.” This was not too long after the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act was passed, which gave additional weapons to Israel. This request and prior requests for aid have been repeatedly supported by the administration. Also, the comments were made right before there was to be a high-level meeting of an Israeli and American officials at the White House.
Some of Israel’s strongest defenders in the administration, such as US National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby, seemed stunned by the comments. Kirby, at a news conference stated, “And it was perplexing to say the least, certainly disappointing, especially given that no other country is doing more to help Israel defend itself against the threat by Hamas - and, quite frankly, other threats that they’re facing in the region - than the United States. I mean, my goodness, this President put US fighter aircraft up in the air, in the middle of April, to help shoot down several hundred drones and missiles, including ballistic missiles that were fired from Iran proper into Israel. There’s no other country that has done more or will continue to do more than the United States to help Israel defend itself. So those comments were deeply disappointing and certainly vexing to us, given the amount of support that we have and will continue to provide Prime Minister Netanyahu.”
Netanyahu was invited to speak before a joint session of Congress on July 24. There have already been some progressives who plan to boycott the speech. Netanyahu’s comments will give cover to those who may have been on the fence whether to boycott the speech.
Is it a smart idea to publicly attack the government who helped you repel an attack by Iran and is providing you with billions of dollars in aid, especially when there is increasing pressure on the government to suspend or reduce the aid? Not everything said in private discussions needs to be made public. There may be some in the United States who will look at this as the prime minister taking sides in the presidential election since these comments are coming during an election year.
The bottom line is these comments do not help increase Israel’s support in the United States, which has been eroding the longer the war has been going on. It publicizes a rift between the countries, which only encourages Hamas and other enemies, and gives them strength to think that their strategies are working.
It was reported in Israel media that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi opposed the airing of the dispute publicly, preferring instead to handle matters behind closed doors, over concerns a public rift with the US could benefit Hamas and Hezbollah. An unnamed senior Israeli official was quoted as saying that “Netanyahu made the decision against the opinion of the advisers and ministers with whom he consulted.”
I expect that those who attacked Senator Schumer for his speech will come to the defense of the Prime Minister. In order to be taken seriously, you need to be consistent and willing to criticize those who you support when they make a mistake. It is a hard pill to swallow, but it needs to be done.
Let’s hope that the Prime Minister’s comments will not have any long-term effects on the United States-Israel relationship.
Warren S. Hecht is a local attorney. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
