Netanyahu is heading to Washington following a dramatic weekend in which Israel attacked Yemen, after Biden dropped out of the race, and after the ICC issued an advisory opinion against Israel. In such a situation, what should Israel's objectives in Washington be?
The weekend's events encapsulated, in a steroid-induced essence, the challenge Israel will face in the coming years: a continuous war of attrition that Israel cannot decisively win militarily, while Iran becomes a nuclear threshold state and possibly even more than that. As if that weren't enough, Israel's status on the international stage is taking a severe hit, and there are processes eroding Israel's legitimacy to defend itself. The current reality is the realization of the strategy from the fevered mind of Qassem Soleimani that the Moqawama entities, including Hamas, have adopted.
The goals of the trip to the US should serve Israel's preparation for this complex and prolonged reality:
Restoring Israel's Bipartisan Standing: Israel's dependence on the US is absolute, and Israel needs to play on the entire political field.
Managing Tensions Under the Radar: Israel must ensure that all tensions between Israel and any administration, whether Democratic or Republican, remain below the radar. Such tensions always exist, and have likely undermine the motivation of Hamas to achieve hostages deal.
Developing Resilience for a Long-Term War: Israel needs to build the capacity to endure a war that will last years with varying intensity and periods of respite. American support for such a campaign, with an understanding of Israel's unique economic, political, and military needs, is critical.
Renewing the American Commitment to Preventing a Nuclear Iran: This should be one of the stated goals of this trip, and an achievement would be such a statement made by Biden, Harris, and Trump. There may be an opportunity for more aggressive cooperation against Iran with a president who is not running for re-election.
Regional Alliance: The window of opportunity for normalization with Saudi Arabia and the creation of a regional alliance is still open but could close.
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