Netanyahu is confronted with a new balancing act—appealing to the new, potentially more progressive face of the Democratic Party while not antagonizing Trump.
There is tension between Netanyahu and both sides of the U.S. political aisle. Some Democrats continue to chafe over his 2015 speech before Congress in which he attacked President Barack Obama’s Iran policy. Meanwhile, Trump was put off by Netanyahu’s embrace of Biden after the 2020 election.
Harris has been tougher in her criticism of Israel than Biden, hewing closer to the progressive flank of her party. Netanyahu will need to be wary of reigniting controversy over Israel just as she is formulating her own public approach to what has become a wedge issue in the election.
If Netanyahu comes off as too chummy with the Democrats, he risks raising the ire of Trump, who has already lambasted him as someone ungrateful for their prior cooperation.
In 2015, nearly 60 Democrats boycotted Netanyahu’s speech to Congress. While the exact number of Democrats who plan to skip this week’s address isn’t known, some congressional aides have privately suggested it could be between 50 and 100.
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