Rahm Emanuel Tells Israel to End Unconditional U.S. Support or Jeopardize Alliance

Rahm Emanuel, a Democrat weighing a 2028 U.S. presidential run, told an audience in Tel Aviv that Israel risks jeopardizing its alliance with Washington unless it changes course on the Palestinians.

“Democrat Rahm Emanuel, a former Chicago mayor who is expected to launch a 2028 presidential bid, has told Israel that it should no longer expect unconditional aid from the United States”

Al Jazeera

Speaking at Tel Aviv University, Emanuel said, “Without question, the alliance is at a crossroads. It cannot stand or survive as it has been.”

Al Jazeera

Emanuel linked Israel’s declining support among Americans to policies ranging from settlement expansion and settler violence in the occupied West Bank to restrictions on aid to Gaza.

He also argued that Washington’s unconditional backing had enabled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in power almost consecutively since 2009, to ignore American concerns and pursue policies that led to violence, destabilization and Israel’s increasing diplomatic isolation.

Emanuel’s remarks came as Israel’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the speech was framed as an unusually blunt warning from a prominent Democrat ahead of November U.S. midterm elections.

Emanuel’s speech offered a direct challenge to Netanyahu’s approach, with Reuters reporting that Emanuel said, “The prime minister and his government have led Israel into a dead-end,” and that Netanyahu had shunned diplomacy while relying on military action.

In the same Reuters account, Emanuel said policies tied to settlement expansion, settler violence and restrictions on aid to Gaza were contributing to Israel’s declining support among Americans, particularly younger voters, and Reuters/Ipsos polling put Israel’s favorability rating among Democrats at 22% in May.

CBS News

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research polling cited by CBS News found that about 58% of Democrats say the U.S. is “too supportive” of the Israelis, up from 45% in January 2024.

CBS News also reported that Emanuel’s proposals would include sanctions on Israelis who attack Palestinian civilians and property, along with companies and banks that support settlements considered illegal by most of the international community.

CBS News added that Emanuel would blame Netanyahu for driving Israel to a “dead end,” while noting that Emanuel told the AP he is intentionally avoiding interactions with Israeli elected officials during his visit to avoid interfering with Israel’s upcoming elections.

Emanuel told Reuters that Israel should purchase American weapons under standard allied terms rather than special subsidy, and he said U.S. military aid amounts to $3.8 billion a year.

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Crain's Chicago Business

Reuters reported that Emanuel called for ending defense subsidies for Israel, framing the change as a way to prevent unconditional backing from enabling policies that he said had led to violence and diplomatic isolation.

The Hill reported that Emanuel’s nearly finalized draft would argue the U.S.-Israeli relationship “cannot stand or survive as it has been,” and it said he would propose that the U.S. sanction Israelis who attack Palestinian civilians and property, as well as companies and banks that support new illegal settlements.

The Hill also said Emanuel would tell Israelis that support from the U.S. should be “expressly contingent,” tied to a “serious commitment to Palestinian sovereignty” and rejection of “dreams of asserting dominion beyond official borders in pursuit of ‘Greater Israel.'”

As Emanuel prepared to deliver the speech at Tel Aviv University on Wednesday, CBS News said his agenda included visiting a hospital that serves Israelis and Palestinians and meeting with the family of an Oct. 7 hostage, while Reuters noted rescue and diplomatic fallout remained a live political issue for Washington and Jerusalem.