Bradley Burston writes in Haaretz:
Let me begin by agreeing with Benjamin Netanyahu. I’m speaking here about one of the prime minister’s most fervently stated positions:
Double standards are wrong. When they are applied to Israel, they undermine and de-legitimize the state in the eyes of the world.
So, in Israel’s own words, let’s see how this works in practice:
1. THE STANDARD: Israel maintains complete bipartisan neutrality regarding American politics. It neither takes sides nor interferes with the U.S. electoral process, nor with governance at the state and federal levels.
THE PRACTICE: During Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, Netanyahu’s right-hand man, Israeli Ambassador to Washington Ron Dermer – a GOP operative prior to his moving to Israel – acted as a key adviser to Trump’s speechwriters.
Earlier in the campaign, Netanyahu took the rare step of addressing a joint session of Congress, excoriating then-President Obama’s signature Iran nuclear deal, and by extension, the Democratic Party as a whole.
Netanyahu remains joined at the Republican hip through his crucial media and funding ties to GOP uber-donors Sheldon and Miriam Adelson. (See also: Number 7 on this list.)
2. THE STANDARD: Israel utterly rejects the intervention of foreign governments in efforts to affect policy within the country.
THE PRACTICE: Israel is spending tens of millions of dollars on an overseas-targeted campaign to combat perceived threats of anti-Israel activism within the U.S., the EU, and elsewhere. Massive government resources and in-house and outsourced intelligence have been marshaled into fighting organizations and activists abroad, including backing for campaigns to name and shame campus figures.
Israel has also vigorously promoted state-level legislation to ban as anti-Semitic, boycotts against Israel and/or boycotts of settlement-linked businesses. The laws have sparked a backlash from rights groups and others, who argue that the legislation violates First Amendment free speech guarantees.