Chairman of Senate Foreign Affairs Committee: Including Ben-Gvir in the Government Will Harm Relations with the United States

A senior Democratic senator warned the Opposition chairman that including right wing elements such as Ben-Gvir in a future government will have negative implications for relations between the countries. According to a source privy to the details, Netanyahu tried to push back against the remarks, which created tension. Everyone in the room saw how angry Bibi was.

Democratic Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Robert Menendez warned Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu that if he includes extremist right-wing elements such as Knesset Member Itamar Ben-Gvir in a future government, there will be negative consequences for relations between the United States and Israel – this is according to two American sources who were present in the meeting between the two.

Why Is This Important?

Menendez is considered to be among the Democratic Party’s senators most friendly to Israel and a leader of the hawkish line in the party against a nuclear agreement with Iran, voting against it in 2015.

In light of his seniority and his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez is one of the strongest and most influential people in Congress and in Washington in all things related to foreign policy, particularly regarding Israel.

Menendez is considered the leader of the right-wing faction within the Democratic Party, which is significant because the approach of the majority of senators and members of Congress in the party is likely to be even more negative toward a government in which Ben-Gvir is a member.

Behind the Scenes

Menendez visited Israel at the beginning of September as part of a delegation of senators led by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham that met with Netanyahu on Sept. 5. The meeting began on an embarrassing note when Netanyahu tried to videotape the session over the objections of the senators.

According to two American sources privy to the discussions, Menendez raised with Netanyahu his concern over the political partnership Netanyahu is forging with extreme right-wing elements, particularly with Ben-Gvir, chairman of the Jewish Power faction. Menendez told Netanyahu that he has “serious concerns” about Netanyahu integrating “extremist, polarizing elements” such as Ben-Gvir into a future government if he wins the Nov. 1 election.

A source familiar with the talks said Netanyahu objected to Menendez’ remarks and pushed back, creating considerable tension. “People who were in the room saw how angry Netanyahu was,” the source said.

However, the Democratic congressman persisted despite Netanyahu’s objections on this issue. Menendez told Netanyahu that forming a coalition of this kind (with Ben-Gvir) “would likely significantly erode bipartisan support for Israel in Washington, which has always stood as the basis for bilateral relations between the United States and Israel,” according to the source familiar with the discussions.*

Picture of the Situation

The Biden administration and Congress, particularly the Democratic Party, see Ben-Gvir and, to a great extent, Knesset member Bezalel Smotrich, as racists who support Jewish superiority. U.S. Ambassador in Israel Tom Nides has not met with the two since he was appointed.

Reporter Ariel Kahana wrote in Wednesday’s Yisrael Hayom that senior officials in the Biden administration are concerned about the possibility of Ben-Gvir becoming a government minister if Netanyahu wins the election and forms a government. According to reports, there is concern even among Jewish organizations in the United States about this scenario and its negative impact on the ability of the pro-Israel community to defend Israel in Washington.

A senior American official confirmed the conversation for us and said that the Biden administration is concerned about the impact this scenario could have on relations between Israel and the United States.

What They Are Saying

State Department Spokesman Ned Price said the Biden administration is not involved in Israel’s domestic politics.

Netanyahu’s office refused to respond. Several days later, Netanyahu said “I would expect that a government dependent on the Muslim Brotherhood would warn us.”

Ben-Gvir said, “it appears that there is no limit to the cynical exploitation by Foreign Minister Lapid in his position when he continues by means of lying in briefings to even drag the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee into becoming involved in Israeli elections. Lapid is destroying Israel’s foreign relations and compromising Israel’s sovereignty for political purposes. Excellent relations with senior Republican leaders continue. In the coming elections, we will win and we will set up a fully right-wing government and I will serve in an influential position caring for the soldiers and people of Israel, despite the opposition of the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from the Democratic faction in the United States, the left-wing, and supporters of terrorism in Israel.”

*Editor’s note: Although this quoted remark was accurately translated, it could not be independently verified.