Rahm Emanuel will deliver Israel news from Tel Aviv University on Wednesday, and the message is aimed squarely at Benjamin Netanyahu. Emanuel will say the relationship between Israel and the United States cannot continue as it has, putting a public break with Netanyahu at the center of his speech.
He will argue that the ties need significant changes and a new direction. In remarks obtained ahead of time, Emanuel said, "It cannot stand or survive as it has been" and added, "To maintain the strength of our ties, we need significant changes and a new direction."
Tel Aviv University speech
Emanuel will speak in Tel Aviv this week and blame Netanyahu for driving Israel to a dead end. He will also say American policy toward Israel has too often assumed Washington should "blindly and silently stand behind the Israeli government without conditions, without demands, and without consequences," a course he described as "our mistake."
The speech is unusual because Emanuel has long been a defender of Israel, yet he is preparing to attack Netanyahu in public and call for a sharper U.S. line. He will say that unconditional support has allowed a prime minister to assume his strategic interests would carry no cost if he ignored America's concerns.
Democrats and Israel
The shift lands as Democratic attitudes move away from Israel. An -NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey found about 58% of Democrats say the United States is too supportive of the Israelis, up from 45% in January 2024. Roughly half of Democrats also believe that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war with Hamas.
Emanuel said Israel's continued military response to Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, 2023, has been "reckless and careless in the treatment of Palestinian life — not only the military campaign but using food and medicine as an instrument of your military goals." He said he is ready to discuss the genocide question, but does not think it should be politicized or used to dilute the meaning of the term.
Sanctions and U.S. arms terms
Emanuel's proposals go beyond rhetoric. He wants sanctions on Israelis who attack Palestinian civilians and property, sanctions on companies and banks that support settlements considered illegal by most of the international community, and an end to U.S. subsidies to Israel's defense budget.
He also says Israel should be able to buy American arms under the same financial terms, restrictions and requirements as every other trusted ally that abides by U.S. laws. Netanyahu once called Emanuel a self-hating Jew, and Netanyahu faces his own battle for reelection in October.
Netanyahu and the next step
The immediate next step is Emanuel's speech at Tel Aviv University on Wednesday, where he will lay out the case for changing the U.S.-Israel relationship in public. Netanyahu's response has not yet been set out, and the confrontation now moves from private criticism to a stage in Tel Aviv.
