The Biden administration has made the decision to end scientific and technological cooperation with Israeli entities in the West Bank, in what critics are calling a “boycott.”
The Trump administration reversed a long-standing directive preventing cooperation with Israelis living in the West Bank in 2020, but the Department of State under Biden is reinstating it, arguing that continued cooperation with the settlements “is inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy.” In response, Israel foreign minister Eli Cohen said, “I object to the decision and think it is wrong,” as quoted by the Times of Israel.
Republicans also had harsh words for the administration. In a statement Sunday, Senator Ted Cruz said, “Joe Biden and Biden administration officials are pathologically obsessed with undermining Israel.”
“Since day one of their administration they have launched campaigns against our Israeli allies that are granular, whole of government, and done in secret,” said Cruz, adding that Congress was not directly informed of the shift.
According to the Texas senator, the Biden administration has defended funding scientific research in Wuhan, China, “but they’re discriminating against and banning cooperation with Jews based on where they live.”
Presidential candidate and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley also condemned the decision in a statement to the Free Beacon. “Biden boycotting Israeli scientific projects does nothing to promote peace and is no way to treat an ally,” Haley said Monday.
The Trump administration rolled back the ban shortly before the 2020 election. The U.S. enjoyed a close relationship with Israel when former president Donald Trump was in office. In 2018, the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. The Trump administration also recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and mediated the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab nations.
Conversely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the Biden administration for improperly intervening in Israel’s internal affairs.
The administration has also been accused of undermining Israel through its pursuit of a new Iran nuclear deal. House Foreign Affairs chairman Michael McCaul (R., Texas) rebuked the administration for attempting to circumvent Congress and reward Iran’s bad behavior. Israel has not ruled out air strikes against Iran amid fears it might continue to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.