Rahm Emanuel targets Netanyahu with sanctions call in Tel Aviv
Why it matters: The speech pairs sharp criticism of Gaza policy with proposals to end some US defense subsidies and penalize settlement backers.
Rahm Emanuel plans to use a speech at Tel Aviv University on Wednesday to argue that Israel’s relationship with the United States is at a turning point and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has driven the alliance into a “dead end.” In remarks obtained by The Associated Press, Emanuel calls Israel’s conduct in Gaza “reckless and careless” toward Palestinian life and criticizes the use of food and medicine in the war with Hamas. He also proposes sanctions on Israelis who attack Palestinian civilians, as well as on companies and banks that support settlements widely viewed internationally as illegal. Emanuel additionally wants to end US subsidies to Israel’s defense budget and put its arms purchases under the same terms applied to other allies.