Joe Biden is subtly warning of the demise of Israeli democracy, but he’s being very careful about it. As president of the United States, he writes, he is in a position to condemn an ​​important ally even more harshly. Victor Pack.

No relationship is more stable than that between the United States and Israel. However, that is not always the case. In the war of 1948, Israel fought with weapons from Soviet countries such as Czechoslovakia. They could not count on American support.

In the following years, Americans saw Israel primarily as a difficult issue. In the 1960s, President John F. Kennedy and his successor, Lyndon B. Only under Johnson did a closer bond develop that continues to this day. Americans spend no less than 3.3 billion euros annually on Israeli security needs. Not an extravagant luxury, because behind Israel’s borders there are many fuses waiting for a flame.

Netanyahu undercuts Israeli democratic reforms

This has Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fanning the flames in his own country. Suspected of corruption, the Likud leader wants to reduce the power of the Israeli Supreme Court. The court has an important position in Israeli democracy. Israel has no constitution and a unicameral parliament. The court is the only body that checks the quality of government and parliamentary laws.

Netanyahu’s move has sparked widespread protests by millions of Israelis. Fears of civil war in the deeply divided country are not unfounded. A disaster given the importance of the US-Israel relationship and reason enough for Biden not to stand idly by.

With subtle sarcasm, Biden accomplished nothing

At the White House, Biden received his Israeli counterpart, Itzhak Herzog, this week. Although Herzog held only a ceremonial position, the US President communicated his concerns to him. The visit was a subtle taunt to Netanyahu, who has yet to receive a reception. For now, the prime minister has promised to meet Biden in the US later this year.

Given Netanyahu’s ambitious plans, Biden shouldn’t dwell on such nuances. A president cannot stand by and watch a staunch ally grow into a flawed democracy. After all, one of Biden’s hobbies is defending democracy at home and abroad.

Biden doesn’t need to fear the wrath of voters if he strongly condemns Israel. Among Democrats, a Gallup poll found more sympathy for Palestinians than Israelis for the first time this year. A significant change, it gives Biden the space he needs to voice his distaste for Netanyahu’s plans, hoping to stave off the collapse of Israeli democracy.