Against the backdrop of the crisis of judicial amendments, which seemed to be a factor that brought to light a hidden dispute between US President Joe Biden and the far-right government in Israel, Biden continued his statements on that crisis, expressing concern about the situation in Israel, and stressing that the current Israeli government cannot continue on this path.
Biden called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to abandon the draft judicial amendments, adding that he did not plan to invite the latter to visit Washington in the near term.
As for Netanyahu, who had stressed - in response to previous statements by Biden in which he called for a quick settlement of the issue of judicial amendments - that Israel is an independent and sovereign state, and that it does not accept external pressure even from the closest friends, he directed his ministers - according to his office - not to comment on Biden's statements, and in turn stressed the strength of relations between Washington and Tel Aviv.
Unprecedented crisis
In an analysis of the internal situation in Israel, Dan Sheftan, head of the National Security Studies Program at the University of Haifa, said in an interview with the program "Beyond the News" (2023/3/29) that Israel is witnessing an unprecedented internal crisis, while America would like to pressure Netanyahu to reach a compromise, but Sheftan pointed out that the internal pressure is strong enough, as the Israelis have to reach a solution that suits them and Washington's pressure will not have much impact, in his opinion.
He explained that Netanyahu's speech that he is not subject to US pressure is directed internally in Tel Aviv, and this does not cancel the strong strategic relationship between America and Israel, considering that these developments are only temporary and do not cancel the common interests between them.
Courting the far right
Khalil al-Anani, a professor of political science and international relations, said Netanyahu's remarks are part of his ongoing attempt to flirt with the extreme right in Israel that brought him to power, but he is keen not to slide into a crisis that could lead to the loss of Israel's most important ally.
He explained that America provides diplomatic, political and legal cover to Israel regarding its violations in the Palestinian territories, as well as strongly supports the normalization of Arab countries with Tel Aviv. Accordingly, Anani considered it difficult to sacrifice all these gains in exchange for some domestic issues, even if they relate to Netanyahu's political future.
At the American level, former US diplomat in Israel Charles Dunn said that the statements exchanged between the two countries reflect the tension between their administrations, which may affect Washington's strategic plans in the region, considering that the Biden administration is trying to be careful not to favor one party over another in the Israeli crisis, and support the trend towards a democratic consensus in Tel Aviv.