Netanyahu calls Pelosi to discuss Israel’s COVID response as some Democrats offer criticism
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. House of Representatives speaker, spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israel’s COVID-19 response at a time that Israel is under pressure to extend its vaccination program to Palestinians in the West Bank.
“Today, I spoke with [the Israeli prime minister] to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between our nations and Congress’s unwavering support for a safe and secure Israel,” Pelosi said Wednesday on Twitter. “We discussed COVID response and our shared hope for regional peace, including a just, stable and enduring two-state solution.”
JTA has learned that Netanyahu initiated the call, and that it was lengthy and friendly. It comes just a month before Israel’s elections. Pelosi’s tweet is illustrated with a photo of Pelosi in her office, taking notes at a desk that overlooks the National Mall.
It’s notable that Pelosi singled out COVID response; Israel is garnering international criticism for leaving out Palestinians in the West Bank from its successful vaccine rollout. Among the critics have been leading Democrats in the House.
Netanyahu this week ordered the delivery of thousands of vaccines to the Palestinians, reportedly after pressure from the U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, but the likelihood is that U.S. pressure will not let up until Netanyahu delivers a more comprehensive vaccine rollout for the Palestinians.
Israel says that prior agreements and international law do not oblige it to vaccinate Palestinians living under the Palestinian Authority.
Also notable is Pelosi’s mention of a “just, stable and enduring two-state solution.” With Democrats now controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress, Israel will be under pressure to abandon the Trump administration peace plan, which was vague about whether the Palestinians would achieve statehood, and included the prospect of Israel annexing parts of the West Bank.
Pelosi’s affirmation of the “unbreakable bond between our nations and Congress’s unwavering support for a safe and secure Israel” comes as Israel and pro-Israel groups are apprehensive at the ascent within the Democratic congressional caucus of lawmakers who have been sharply critical of Israel. Last week, Rep. Betty McCollum, a Democrat from Minnesota who has proposed conditioning aid to Israel on its treatment of Palestinian minors in detention, was named chairwoman of the influential defense subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30