while the relationship between Israel and the United States has been on full display this week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing a joint session of Congress earlier this week and subsequently meeting with President Biden vice president kamla Harris and with former president Donald Trump their first meeting since the end of Trump's term as president now netanyahu's appearance comes amid ongoing tension here in the US around the war in Gaza with the families of hostages demanding a deal for their release peace and continued calls for humanitarian support to Gaza and an end to the war it's an issue that's galvanized voters some critical of America's continued support for Israel others urgent to see the US maintain a strong relationship with our Middle East Ally and then there are folks like Tom malinowski who understands both of those arguments malinowski worked in the US state department under the Obama Administration before becoming a two-term congressman here in New Jersey he joins me now malanowski great to have you with us tonight uh we are talking all things Israel right now we know that President Biden met with um Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday uh the the president's been consistent in his support for Israel but also his push for a deal uh a peace deal and the release of the hostages where does it look like we are right now um in terms of moving towards that goal I think that prime minister Netanyahu came to the United States mostly to play to his constituency back home and to play for time but he's under huge pressure uh first and formost from the Israeli people two-thirds of Israelis right now say that getting a ceasefire getting the SE getting the hostages home should be the priority not continuing the war in Gaza from his own security establishment his own defense minister has publicly said that Netanyahu is putting Israel's long-term Security in Jeopardy by continuing the war and and refusing to um Embrace a long-term solution for Gaza that would include a Palestinian uh leadership presence there um and of course he's under pressure from the United States um and I think President Biden who really is the most pro-israel president we've ever had is taking the correct pro-israel position here and that is to stand with the Israeli majority and not necessarily um with prime minister Netanyahu it's interesting I I we're going to get to the meeting with vice president uh and potential nominee kamla Harris as well as um Trump the there's a meeting scheduled for tonight with former president Trump but I want to just go back to the speech that we heard earlier this week from Netanyahu to the Joint session of Congress where he pushed back on anyone who's really been critical of his response he called any protests uh protesters Iran's useful idiots and he said Israel's hands will never be tied and if Israel's hands are tied then America's hands are tied what do you make of that position amidst the criticism even from within his own country the any protesters who are spray painting Hamas is coming on Washington uh statues or or burning the American flag deserve to be criticized by by all of us uh but I think he was very disdainful in a way that offended me of Americans who support Israel but who believe that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is unacceptable um that uh this war does need to end that that continuing it is not in Israel's best security interest um and that Israel needs to embrace a future relationship with its neighbors that allows for for example Arab countries to rebuild Gaza to help deradicalize it but that also requires Israel to move towards a two-state solution with the pales Ian State um that's what he's refusing to do that's why his own defense minister who is not not some peace Nick he's a member of netanyahu's own party um has publicly accused uh prime minister Netanyahu of leading Israel to a very dangerous place it's why most Israelis are angry at him right now um a lot of folks suspect that he is just prolonging this war because he's worried that if it ends his governance of Israel ends that he risks prosecution for corruption he may go to jail yeah so that's his problem that's not our problem we know that uh he did also meet with vice president kamla Harris he's meeting with Trump tonight what do we get in terms of those two administrations whoever should be uh elected into office in terms of their Harris's approach or Trump's approach uh to putting pressure on Netanyahu or not uh to end this war well I Harris is I think basically the same place as as Joe Biden she's pro-israel but um she wants to see a ceasefire deal yesterday that gets the hostages home and um she believes very strongly that that there can be no security for a democratic Jewish state of Israel if there's no um credible Pathway to a Palestinian State she did say in her meeting with him I'm sorry to interrupt you that uh she will not be silent about the suffering in Gaza and that it is time to get a deal done so those were two things that we know came out of that meeting exactly and and Trump who knows he's kind of all over the place but he but he also said today the war's got an end um I I look I think the important thing about the the the the Harris part of this is that Netanyahu now has to recognize that that she may win this race um I I think part of his plan maybe part of his Hope was that well Trump is going to be the next president and I can just go back to dealing with Jared Kushner to turn Gaza into you know a beach resort for for wealthy Arabs um and I don't have to worry about pressure for two states or for a real peace process now he's got to contend with the fact that we may have a normal Administration in Washington for another four and a half years and I think that's got to changes calculations too I hope in a good way I hope in a way that leads him to accept the deal on the table and even more important to seize the the deal that could really secure Israel's long-term future with recognition from Saudi Arabia and its Arab neighbors with real Partners to fight Hamas and terrorism yeah to rebuild Gaza but he can't get that unless he's willing to embrace a pathway to two states so what is the response from the US right now regardless of who uh the president is we know that there's been continued support continued weapons sent overseas do you see a time at which uh the US needs to ever withdraw that support or perhaps a more targeted line of support what is the right answer look we we are I think rightly committed to defending Israel against um its enemies which are America's enemies too President Biden is the only President in American history who's put American troops into combat to protect Israel as he did when Iran um sent launched those missiles uh a few months ago um but that that kind of partnership which so many of us support is only possible if the Israeli government is willing to meet the United States at least halfway um on on these issues and and again this is a a profoundly pro-israel American president and I I think for Netanyahu to to simply refuse to listen as he has been doing for the last few months not only bad for um Israel's long-term security but bad for the relationship with the United States uh and and for all of us who want to continue it you mentioned the the hamas's coming graffiti that we saw on the same day that Netanyahu gave his speech and we did see an American flag burned uh Palestinian flags raised in place of the American flag just getting to that that protester piece are we seeing a shift here in the US that perhaps is more Sinister than just humanitarian calls for this war to end yeah I think it's I think it's disgusting um and and in some ways the the the extremist protesters in the United States are the mirror image of extremist in in Israel they're all against two states they're all River to the Sea uh people um except one group wants a an a Palestinian state from The River To The Sea and the other wants a Jewish state from The River To The Sea um this is a moment where the center which I still think is where most of us are needs to assert itself um we have work to do in the United States we've got to reject people confront people who want to delegitimize Israel who want it to cease to exist but um Israel also needs to confront the extremists in its midst some of whom are in netanyahu's cabinet um who also reject the values that are at the heart of the partnership between our two countries all right thank you so much for such a thoughtful discussion Tom malinowski former official in the Obama Administration former Congressman here in New Jersey we appreciate the insight thank you [Music]