Is this what the US now calls "diplomacy" with Israel?

 (Last update: October 29, 2021)

On October 21, 2021, Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced that Israel was declaring six Palestinian NGO's (Non-Government Organizations) as 'terrorist" (here). Within hours, the US was reported to "slam" Israel over this announcement (here). The US, apparently, was angered because Israel had not given the US any 'advance' intelligence information to explain this move (ibid). Shortly after that accusation by the US, Israel denied the accusation (here), and declared it had already given the US that information  (ibid). 

The US was not amused by this pushback. It refused to budge from its accusation. It responded to Israel by 'doubling-down': it accused Israel again of not disclosing anything to the US in advance of this matter (ibid),

All of this transpired this past weekend, beginning Friday, October 21st. But now, a new week, the US digs its teeth yet again into Israel.  A US State Department spokesman has now insisted that Israel did not provide the US with advance notice that these six Palestinian NGO's were to be classified by Israel as "terrorist" (here).

Notice what this tempest-in-a-teapot is all about. First, it is not about the US catching Israel in a lie. In fact, the US does not even allege that Israel was exaggerating its claim of 'terrorist' against the six Palestinian organizations. Neither does the US assert that six NGO's have been unfairly defamed. 

The US merely accuses Israel of a kind of 'bad faith'--a failure to give advance notice. Surely, this is an odd accusation. I cannot remember the US having used such an allegation against any other ally. 

The accusation itself is strange. It makes the US sound as if it is simply whining, "you never told us!" This is important?

Such an accusation begs the question, is Israel supposed to tell the US in advance about every Defense Ministry decision it makes to secure Israel's safety? More important, does Israel, alone among US allies, have some kind of unique obligation to give to the US advance notice of such a move?

The US does not say. It refuses to address the question.

It appear clear that the Biden Administration uses here a vicious double standard it does not apply to others. That is to say, the The Biden Administration seems to expect from its Jewish ally what it never expects from other allies: detailed explanations about Israel's internal national security issues. 

What is disturbing about this US whining is that it was done at all. This accusation came from the US State Department--the US's Diplomatic 'center'. After Israel responded to the US that it had in fact provided the US with a detailed report, in advance, on its decision to name these Organizations as terrorist, the US State Department did not respond diplomatically by saying, "we have no comment on this Israeli denial right now because we are looking into the matter, to see if we were in error'. 

That would have been a proper 'diplomatic' response. That would what been what  Israel should have received from the US. But that is not what Israel got. Instead, it got a doubling-down of the original accusation--as if Israel was some kind of international social outlaw that needed--and deserved--both constant oversight and constant rebuke.

Is this how the US now defines its "diplomacy" with Israel? It will now play bully?

 If Israel has evidence that these six organizations are terrorist, it should stand firm: just as the US repeated its complaint to Israel, Israel should repeat its original decision--we will treat these organizations as terrorist-linked. 

If Israel does decide to yield to this bullying, it will send a very bad (for Israel) signal to the world. Nothing good will happen for Israel if, suddenly, the world sees it can be so easily bullied. 

Israel must stand firm on this issue.