Democrats MK Kariv: Netanyahu persona non grata in Washington, Israel-US relations can’t be fixed with him in office

Democrats MK Gilad Kariv says Israel’s deteriorating relations with the US are a “strategic threat” to Israel and asserts that growing hostility toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington means there is no way to rehabilitate the relationship while he remains prime minister.

Speaking to The Times of Israel, Kariv also says his party and the entire Eisenkot-led bloc will move ahead quickly with repealing key judicial overhaul laws passed by the previous government.

“We are in a situation we never experienced before with such serious problems with the relationship with the US, and these problems are in Congress, in the White House, and with US public opinion,” says Kariv.

The MK references comments made by US President Donald Trump, who ascribed the heavy losses sustained by the Republican Party in the midterms to “a great dislike” among Americans for Israel, as well as by Vice President JD Vance, who said the party had to change its relationship with Israel, and Trump’s announcement that US military aid to Israel would be ending, to underline the gravity of the situation.

“Netanyahu is persona non grata in Washington and there’s no way to rehabilitate Israel’s international standing if Netanyahu remains prime minister,” says the Democrats MK.

Kariv says he believes there is time even during the current coalition-building stage for the Knesset to repeal the legislation passed by the last government increasing political influence over the judiciary, and a separate law enabling the government to ignore the legal position of the attorney general.

Although a proper legislative process usually requires lengthy debate and consideration, Kariv maintains that because the legislation in question was highly problematic and faced opposition from the legal advisers to the committee they were passed through, as well as from the attorney general, simply repealing the laws would be relatively straightforward, and would not require extensive debate since the arguments have already been heard.

“The Judicial Selection Committee law is constitutionally illegitimate and so it can be canceled. We will get the attorney general’s opinion and it will be done with the proper process,” Kariv insists.