U.S. ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides is one of the nicest diplomats to ever hold this important position.
If you don’t believe me, go back to the podcast interview he gave Haaretz last summer, ahead of President Biden’s visit to Israel, and you’ll clearly hear how much he loves his host country.
Biden had several potential candidates to send to Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu is lucky that he got Nides, and not one of the more combative options. Since arriving, Nides has mostly focused on guaranteeing Israel’s entry into the U.S. visa waiver program and regaling Israelis with his regular social media posts about weekend trips and culinary adventures in the country.
But for the fanatics in Netanyahu’s coalition, no good deed goes unpunished. So when Nides offered a comment that can’t even be described as mild criticism – friendly advice would be more appropriate – regarding the plan to weaken Israel's justice system, the response from Netanyahu’s orbit was brutal.
"Mind your own business," said Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli via a radio interview. He repeated the quote in English twice, in case the message wasn’t received the first time. Of course, the irony of a diaspora affairs minister saying such a thing was lost on Chikli, and so was the question of what would happen if America chose to start "minding its own business" at the UN Security Council.
Another coalition lawmaker accused Nides of being "brainwashed" by the Israeli opposition, and a third called his words illegitimate. But perhaps the most telling response came from Netanyahu’s own son, who shared an image of Nides meeting with Arab-Israeli lawmaker Mansour Abbas with the caption "Get it?"
The question is, does Nides get it, and do his bosses in Washington understand what they’re up against. Right now, it seems they don’t. Yes, President Biden gave a polite statement about the fate of Israel’s democracy, and Secretary of State Blinken lectured Netanyahu on the importance of shared values.
Netanyahu has chosen to ignore the warnings, and along the way, double down on settlement expansion and illegal outpost legalization. Now the question is, will there be any consequences.
Read more about Netanyahu's government:
Don't miss today's best reads on Haaretz.com
'Israelis transfer money abroad at an unprecedented rate,' reports Michael Rochvarger
Phineas Rueckert lays out how Eliminalia, a Spanish reputation management firm, buries the truth
Alon Pinkas wonders: When will the U.S. get tired of helping Israel with UN vetoes?
Haaretz Today is our daily newsletter summing up the main events of the day in Israel and the region with a fresh perspective on the stories dominating headlines. Click here to sign up for the latest news from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Haaretz’s team of writers and editors.
