Emanuel says US aid to Israel should no longer come without conditions

Rahm Emanuel told an audience in Israel that the country should no longer count on US backing with no strings attached. The remarks matter because Emanuel is a longtime Democratic insider and former Obama chief of staff, and Al Jazeera reported he is expected to seek the presidency in 2028.

Speaking Wednesday at Tel Aviv University, Emanuel said Washington’s approach had helped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu act without enough regard for US objections. “Unconditional support,” Emanuel said, had allowed Netanyahu to believe he could ignore American concerns over settlements and regional conflict without paying a political price.

Emanuel argued that the alliance needs a different framework. He said US policy had too often assumed that the best service Washington could provide was to stand behind Israel’s government without conditions, demands or consequences when the two countries disagreed.

The speech marked a notable shift for Emanuel, a central figure in Democratic politics who has long been involved in US policy toward Israel. He advised former President Bill Clinton during Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts in the 1990s and worked on Middle East policy as President Barack Obama’s White House chief of staff from 2009 to 2010.

As Obama’s chief of staff, Emanuel helped oversee early funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. Al Jazeera noted that he has criticized Netanyahu for years, but has not been known for openly calling for conditions on US aid to Israel.

Criticism of Netanyahu and settlements

Emanuel focused much of his criticism on Netanyahu’s government. He cited the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which violate international law, and Israeli efforts to restrict aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

He said those actions had damaged Israel’s standing abroad and made continued US support harder to defend. Emanuel said the United States could not keep financing and backing such policies in silence.

Emanuel also said he supports sanctions against Israelis who attack Palestinian civilians or property. He extended that position to officials who support such violence, as well as companies and banks involved in building or financing illegal settlements.

At the same time, Emanuel directed criticism toward Arab governments. He said Arab countries should take responsibility for creating a Palestinian state while accepting what he described as Israel’s historic Jewish connection to the land.

He called for replacing what he described as a discredited two-state path with a “23-state solution,” saying 21 Arab nations should help establish a Palestinian governing authority.

Democratic opinion shifts

James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute in Washington, DC, told Al Jazeera that the speech appeared to be an attempt to start a presidential campaign by addressing an issue that has become central in Democratic politics.

An AP-NORC poll released this week found that 58 percent of Democrats said the United States was too supportive of Israel, up from 45 percent in January 2024. The poll also found that more than half of Democrats surveyed said they believed Israel committed genocide in Gaza.

Al Jazeera reported that Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 73,000 Palestinians since 2023. Recent Democratic primaries in New York, Pennsylvania and Colorado have also seen progressive candidates critical of US-Israel policy win races.

In Congress, support for limits on aid has grown. In April, 40 US senators voted to block a bulldozer sale to Israel, citing the equipment’s use in demolitions of Palestinian homes.

Zogby said Emanuel’s remarks still stayed within broadly pro-Israel arguments and centered Netanyahu’s government rather than the wider history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He said 2028 contenders may try to balance changing Democratic views with pressure from donors.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.