Rahm Emanuel, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, warned in a Tel Aviv University speech Wednesday that the United States-Israel relationship is “at a crossroads” and cannot survive without significant change, marking a striking rebuke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from a centrist Democrat.
“It cannot stand or survive as it has been,” Emanuel said in remarks obtained by The Associated Press. “To maintain the strength of our ties, we need significant changes and a new direction.”
Emanuel’s speech reflects a dramatic shift in Democratic politics away from decades of bipartisan support for Israel. According to a new AP-NORC poll released the same day, about 58% of Democrats now say the U.S. is “too supportive” of Israel, up from 45% in January 2024. Roughly half of Democrats believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war in Gaza, an accusation vehemently denied by Israel and the U.S. government.
The former Chicago mayor, White House chief of staff, and U.S. ambassador to Japan proposed concrete policy changes, including ending U.S. subsidies to Israel’s defense budget and imposing sanctions on Israelis who attack Palestinian civilians and property, as well as on companies and banks supporting Israeli settlements in occupied areas of the West Bank. He argued Israel “should be able to buy American arms under the same financial terms, the same restrictions, and the same requirements as every other trusted ally that abides by our laws.”
Emanuel blamed Netanyahu for driving Israel toward a “dead end,” saying that unconditional American support had enabled poor strategic decisions. “For too long, American policy toward Israel operated under the assumption that the best thing Washington could do for Jerusalem was to blindly and silently stand behind your government, without conditions, without demands, and without consequences when we disagreed,” he said. “That has been our mistake.”
The speech is particularly significant because Emanuel is Jewish, his father was born in Jerusalem, and he has spent 35 years in senior Democratic politics, including tours in the Clinton, Obama, and Biden administrations. Netanyahu once called him a “self-hating Jew,” an episode Emanuel explicitly referenced in his prepared remarks. His willingness to deliver such a stinging rebuke of Netanyahu signals how far mainstream Democratic thinking has shifted on Israel.
According to Politico’s preview of the speech, Emanuel said Israel has lost Europe and is increasingly viewed as a “pariah” internationally, with scientists and artists facing exclusion from global networks. He called the two-state solution “discredited” and instead proposed a “23-state solution” involving Israel, the Palestinians, and the 21 members of the Arab League working together on a peace deal.
The speech comes as the Gaza war and shifts in American public opinion have reshaped political coalitions in both parties. Younger voters have been particularly critical of Israel’s approach to the conflict, and the issue has roiled Democratic congressional primaries this year. Politico reported that Emanuel shared his draft remarks with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, suggesting the speech reflects broader conversations within the Democratic foreign policy establishment.
While Netanyahu has forged generally strong ties with President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, support for Israel among Democrats has slipped significantly in recent years. Emanuel’s remarks underscore how a centrist figure—traditionally more reluctant than the party’s progressive base to question U.S. support for Israel—is now openly calling for conditional rather than unconditional backing.
Sources
- AP News — Emanuel’s speech text and the AP-NORC poll showing 58% of Democrats say U.S. is “too supportive” of Israel (up from 45% in January 2024)
- The Washington Post — Emanuel’s warning that Israel faces a “dead end” without change and that the relationship is “not sustainable”
- Politico — Preview of Emanuel’s speech, his criticism of Netanyahu, and the “23-state solution” proposal; report that he shared draft with Clinton and Clinton
