Opinion

Imagine if Bibi sent this message to Biden

Friends should indeed be straightforward with each other.

Then-Vice President Joe Biden meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in March 2016. Photo by Amos Ben Gershom/GPO.
Then-Vice President Joe Biden meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in March 2016. Photo by Amos Ben Gershom/GPO.
Rabbi Dov Fischer, Rav of Young Israel of Orange County (Credit: YIOC)
Rabbi Dov Fischer

Joe Biden has sent a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In his public comments, Biden broke all international protocols and told Netanyahu how to run Israel’s internal affairs.

Israel has a severely flawed Supreme Court that rules autocratically and reverses whatever Knesset decisions it chooses. Netanyahu’s government is trying to democratize the judicial system. But because the left controls the Israeli and American media, news outlets in both countries have been reporting on the judicial reforms as if they were a fascist power-grab.

Joe Biden seems to agree. So, he weighed in, saying he has been Netanyahu’s friend for 40 years and friends sometimes need to be straightforward with each other.

“Like many strong supporters of Israel, I’m very concerned. I’m concerned that they get this straight. They cannot continue down this road. I’ve sort of made that clear,” the president said.

Bibi responded, “I have known President Biden for over 40 years, and I appreciate his longstanding commitment to Israel. The alliance between Israel and the United States is unbreakable and always overcomes the occasional disagreements between us.”

However, he added, “Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends.”

Bibi was being diplomatic. But imagine if Bibi had responded this way:

“Dear Joe, we have known each other for 40 years and I value our friendship. I was rather surprised that you recently interfered with Israel’s internal affairs, telling us how to preserve our democracy. We are simply trying to get things balanced after 30 years of judicial tyranny.

“Joe, you just named a woman who cannot define what a woman is to your Supreme Court. In your system, all you had to do was nominate her and have the Senate—controlled by your party—fall into line and confirm her.

“By contrast, in our country right now,  the people’s elected representatives do not control the judicial selection process. Rather, the justices self-perpetuate and control the Supreme Court as a closed shop. If you had the self-perpetuating system we are trying to fix, then Justices Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett would add or veto new justices to your Court. Your nominee never would have gotten to first base.

“But Joe, I need to say a bit more, because friends sometimes need to be honest with friends for their own good. I’m very concerned, Joe, about what’s going on in America. Your country cannot continue down this road. Since you feel comfortable telling us how to run our country, here are a few of my concerns.

“Gaza is run by Hamas on our southwest border. Lebanon and Hezbollah are on our northwest border. Syria is next door. Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority are on our eastern border. So, we control our borders, because we have to. I have been reading about millions of people illegally crossing your southern border. We can advise you on how to prevent that.

“I also understand, Joe, that your schools teach young children about transgenderism, and you even have cross-dressers read books to them. Although our society does not discriminate based on gender, our school curricula differ. Our parents do not feel they have to scream at school board meetings to protect their children. Our schools and textbooks are not imbued with critical race theory and intersectionalism.

“Not that your schools are any of our business, Joe, but our kids come out reading and writing, schooled in math and technology, knowing their history and prepared for great things.

“Our population of nine million is about the size of New York City. Thanks to our educational system, that small population has seen our kids grow up to create or co-create an extraordinary range of high-tech marvels. All without transgender studies.

“Joe, we hear about Saturday nights in Chicago and skyrocketing crime in your inner cities. We certainly have some crime here too, but our cities are quite safe. We have challenges in south Tel Aviv, where a few illegal migrants managed to get in. We took steps to take back those streets, but our Supreme Court stopped us, for now. Even so, we can advise you there too.

“Of course, we have to deal with occasional Arab Muslim terrorism. But we have safe streets and safe public transportation. Our citizens do not push others off platforms into oncoming trains. We do not have non-terrorists committing mass shootings at schools or shopping malls. It’s not as though there are no guns in Israel, Joe. We have plenty of guns. After all, we have Arab Muslim terrorists to deal with. It’s just that we do not use our guns on each other.

“Maybe this is because we have better programs for treating the mentally ill. Maybe it’s because our society is more traditional, with greater respect for parents and authority.

“Your problem with urban crime is really none of my business, Joe. But since we are such good friends sharing concerns, I’m concerned for your country. I’m concerned that you get this right. You cannot continue on this road.

“I deal with many issues, Joe, like assuring that trains do not derail, our mothers have adequate access to baby formula, we extract all energy resources available to us and our banking system is competently regulated—but I presume you already have these things under control. It’s the easy stuff.

“Thanks again for offering your good advice on how Israel should govern itself. I hope I have reciprocated collegially. That’s what friends are for.

“Bibi.”

Rabbi Dov Fischer, a law professor and vice president and senior rabbinic fellow at the Coalition for Jewish Values, is a senior contributing editor at The American Spectator.

This is an edited version of an article published by The American Spectator.

The opinions and facts presented in this article are those of the author, and neither JNS nor its partners assume any responsibility for them.
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