Democrat Rahm Emanuel tells Israel to change course or risk US alliance

TEL AVIV, July 8 - Rahm Emanuel, a Democrat weighing a 2028 U.S. presidential run, said on Wednesday that Israel risks jeopardizing its alliance with Washington unless it changes course on the Palestinians because of growing unease with its policies among U.S. voters.

A former Chicago mayor and chief of staff to former President Barack Obama, Emanuel used a speech at Tel Aviv University to criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and propose a new U.S. policy toward the Middle East.

"Without question, the alliance is at a crossroads. It cannot stand or survive as it has been. To maintain the strength of our ties, this alliance needs significant changes and a new direction," he said.

Emanuel said policies ranging from settlement expansion and settler violence in the occupied West Bank to restrictions on aid to Gaza were contributing to Israel's declining support among Americans, particularly younger voters.

His speech offered an unusually blunt warning from a prominent Democrat that longstanding U.S. political support can no longer be taken for granted.

Support for Israel has become one of the most divisive issues ahead of November U.S. midterm elections in which progressive Democratic candidates have won primary contests while opposing U.S. funding for Israel.

Israel's favorability rating among Democrats fell from 59% in 2018 to 22% in May, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. Support remains strong among Republicans, though some elements of Trump's coalition have also called for cutting off aid.

Emanuel said Washington's unconditional backing had enabled Netanyahu, in power almost consecutively since 2009, to ignore American concerns and pursue policies that have led to violence, destabilization and Israel's increasing diplomatic isolation.

A spokesperson for Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

EMANUEL CALLS FOR ENDING DEFENCE SUBSIDIES FOR ISRAEL

While Israel has long enjoyed strong bipartisan support from the U.S., an increasing number of Democrats in Congress are now pressing to cut off military aid, which amounts to $3.8 billion a year. Emanuel said Israel should purchase American weapons under standard allied terms rather than special subsidy.

"The prime minister and his government have led Israel into a dead-end," said Emanuel, who is Jewish, served as a volunteer supporting the Israeli military during the 1991 Gulf War and whose father was born in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu, Emanuel said, has shunned diplomacy while relying on military action.

"Israel has failed to convert its military gains into strategic advantages. The same dynamic extends beyond Iran. You had no day-after Hamas plan for Gaza. You had no strategy to make a partner of the Lebanese government against Hezbollah," said Emanuel.

Netanyahu has said he is seeking to expand diplomatic ties with countries in the region and Israel launched U.S.-backed peace talks with Lebanon in June.

Emanuel proposed trust-building measures to revive a peace process that collapsed in 2014, in which Arab states would take on a central role that would ultimately lead to the establishment of formal ties between Israel and the Arab League.

Emanuel directed some of his criticism toward Israel's neighbours, describing the Palestinian leadership as failed and corrupt and Arab countries as having paid little beyond lip service to the Palestinian quest for statehood.

There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian Authority. REUTERS