Israel’s trouble with the Democratic Party is no secret. It is not because @JoeBiden or @KamalaHarris are anti-Israel - the opposite is true - but because of something deeper – an institutional problem Israel has in the Democratic Party.

It is the result of 2 trends – originating in Israel and in the US. Countless research papers & polls have been written to discuss the challenge but here's the bottom line – Israel is perceived in progressive circles as right-wing, nationalistic, populist, racist & religious.

Talk to Democrats and you'll hear criticism of the way @netanyahu's cozied up to Trump, the continued freeze with Palestinians, discrimination of progressive Jews on matters of religion in Israel & of course Bibi's speech in Congress in 2015 against the Iran nuclear deal.

This is why with a Biden administration coming into office, Israel needs to work immediately to repair relations & create new lines of communication. Time is of the essence and failure to do so will undermine Israel’s security in the Middle East.

There are a number of immediate steps: reaching out now to Biden officials to begin trying to influence the way it views topics of mutual interest; having @giladerdan1 take up US role earlier than planned & appointing a minister to be in charge of progressive Jewry outreach.

There are other steps that require strategic thinking & planning. New comms, different narratives & a completely different approach to US minority communities.
But most important is to stop paying lip service to bipartisanship and to act like we care about bipartisanship.