After it recalled its ambassador. Has America's anger descended on Israel or is it just a passing summer cloud?

In the context of the American reaction to the Israeli Knesset's passage of a law that immediately ends a decision that has been in force since 2005 to evacuate 4 settlements in the northern West Bank, the US State Department summoned – according to Israel Radio – Mike Herzog, Tel Aviv's ambassador to Washington.

The ambassador, who appeared before US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, informed Washington's concern about the Knesset's decision, describing the decision as provocative, and warning by the US official that the Israeli move could push more tension during the month of Ramadan and the Jewish and Christian Passover holidays.

This came against the backdrop that the Israeli Knesset approved in the second and third readings the repeal of provisions in the disengagement law regarding 4 settlements in the northern West Bank, 18 years after its adoption, allowing settlers to enter these settlements again and return to reside in them.

American tension

Regarding this US decision, Joel Rubin, former US Assistant Deputy Secretary of State, said in an interview with the program "Beyond the News" (2023/3/22) that the US State Department's decision is an important step that has significance on the part of the administration of President Joe Biden, explaining that it was taken because of the Israeli Knesset's decision to change the law and withdraw Israeli forces from the West Bank and Gaza, which raised tension in Washington because it opens the door to the return of settlements to the northern part of the West Bank, which may raise a situation of violence.

He added that the Biden administration is working hard with Jordan and Egypt to ensure that calm prevails on Passover and Ramadan, but this Israeli move will not help that, especially as it thus breaks its promises not to take any provocative steps.

He also considered that the American decision is unusual, but Washington is convinced that the Israeli step does not stop at provocation, but will have different repercussions, and therefore the American response was firm.

For his part, writer and political analyst Saeed Erekat said that the US decision to summon the Israeli ambassador is an exceptional event to express the dissatisfaction of the Washington government, but this does not mean that Israeli security is no longer sacred to Washington, as it is dissatisfied with the Israeli government and takes into account the massive demonstrations in Israel.

He also added that there is dissatisfaction among the American Jew, which prompted America to use strong words to show its dissatisfaction and desire that Israel would not take such steps, but he expected that America would not take greater steps than it did.

Strong relationships but

On the Israeli level, Israeli political analyst Golan Barhoum pointed to the existence of close relations between America and Israel, but considered that the main obstacle between them is changing the legal aspect of Israeli policy, in the northern West Bank there may not be intensive settlement construction, but he pointed out that the Israeli government applies its policies by licensing new towns and there can be no complete freeze on construction.

Responding to the US State Department's summoning of the Israeli ambassador in Washington to protest the Knesset's decision to pave the way for the return of settlers to four settlements in the northern West Bank, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his government does not intend to establish new settlements, despite the Knesset's decision. But Netanyahu again described the Knesset's move as a correction to what he described as a discriminatory law that banned Jews from living in their homes.

Axios quoted US officials as saying that the summoning of the Israeli ambassador was the result of the statements of the finance minister and the issue of judicial reform. The site added that these officials assured him that the Biden administration would have preferred not to confront Tel Aviv, in order to coordinate against Iran and promote normalization agreements, but it was expecting a crisis with the Israeli government at some point, and that it tried to postpone that confrontation as much as possible, according to the site.