Several observations can be made regarding Rahm Emanuel’s recent speech at Tel Aviv University: what he said and didn’t say, and what impact (if any) his words might have.

Emanuel has been a fixture in US politics for decades. After volunteering with the Israeli Defence Forces in 1991, he returned to the US to work in the Clinton administration, as a member of Congress, in the Obama administration, then as Mayor of Chicago, and ambassador to Japan.

It’s unsurprising that Emanuel would consider running for president. But given the dramatically shifting Democratic attitudes towards Israel and Emanuel’s deep connections to Israel, questions were immediately raised about how he would navigate these turbulent waters in a presidential primary.

Heeding the maxim to “shine a light on your problem”, Emanuel delivered this speech, laying out his bona fides as a long-time Israel supporter while delivering a sharp rebuke to its policies.

It was a strange hodgepodge. After noting his long ties with Israel, Emanuel launched into the Israeli historical narrative of the post-Oslo period, echoing the well-worn “Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity”. He repeated the Clinton administration’s false claims that........

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