Rahm Emanuel Delivers Blistering Speech on Israel’s International Standing
TEL AVIV, Israel — Rahm Emanuel, a potential Democratic presidential candidate and longtime defender of Israel, delivered a blistering speech at Tel Aviv University on Wednesday, warning that Israel has become increasingly isolated under its current leadership and risks becoming a “territorial pariah.”
“You cannot fight indefinitely against a world that has stopped believing you have the right to fight,” Emanuel told a packed auditorium of students and supporters. “You must instead find a new sustainable path to peace, security, and economic prosperity.”
Emanuel’s condemnation reflects how far centrist Democrats have shifted from historic support for Israel, three years after the Gaza war began. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cultivated ties with President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, Israel’s standing with Democrats has plummeted. According to a new AP-NORC survey, 58 percent of Democrats say the US is “too supportive” of Israel, up from 45 percent in January 2024.
A Plan to End Isolation
Emanuel offered a slate of tough proposals aimed at “busting Israel out of its strategic pariah status”:
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End US defense subsidies, arguing Israel should pay for American defense like any other ally
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Sanction Israelis who attack Palestinian civilians and property, along with politicians who support such violence
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Strengthen diplomatic ties with Arab states and economic links through the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor
Rather than a two-state solution, Emanuel proposed a “23-state solution” involving 21 Arab states that would hold Palestinians accountable for progressing toward sovereignty while accepting the historic Jewish connection to the land.
Reactions and Context
Netanyahu’s office declined to comment. The prime minister famously called Emanuel a “self-hating Jew” in 2009 over his condemnation of settlement expansion. Emanuel recalled that far-right activists, including current Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, were detained while protesting his son’s bar mitzvah the following year.
Emanuel, whose father was born in Jerusalem and fought in the 1948 war, also acknowledged the toll of the Oct. 7 attacks and Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. He expressed surprise at the intensity of feeling that Israelis feel abandoned by their government since Oct. 7.
While no prominent Democrat has formally entered the 2028 presidential race, Emanuel a former congressman, Chicago mayor, and US ambassador to Japan has been one of the most direct about his intentions. He has done bike tours of early voting states like New Hampshire.
“The status quo is unacceptable, where you can’t say anything negative, which is an implicit endorsement,” Emanuel said.
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