Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies have been resoundingly silent since President Donald Trump tarred millions of American Jews with the anti-Semitic trope of disloyalty to their homeland Aug. 20. While Jewish and non-Jewish members of Congress lashed out at the president and Jewish organizations of all stripes demanded that he retract his remarks, Twitter master Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kept mum. Similarly, Yamina (Rightward) coalition senior officials Ayelet Shaked and Bezalel Smotrich, who rave against any foreign leader who dares to criticize Jews and questions their right to the entire Land of Israel, have swallowed their tongues. And on the political center-left, the last time Blue and White Chair Benny Gantz mentioned Trump was to extol him for recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights on March 21. Neither former Prime Minister Ehud Barak nor Nitzan Horwitz, leaders of the left-wing Democratic Camp, have stood up to defend their brothers across the sea, either.
It fell to President Reuven Rivlin once again to save what little is left of the Jewish State’s dignity. With admirable diplomatic caution, Rivlin told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, “The relationship between the State of Israel and the United States is a link between peoples, which relies on historical ties, deep and strong friendships and shared values that are not dependent on the relationship with one particular party.” Not a word about the most egregious remarks ever made by an American president against the largest Jewish community in the Diaspora.