Likely 2028 presidential candidate Rahm Emanuel told a Tel Aviv audience that he understands their “cynicism” and “anger” as Democrats struggle with messaging over Israel.
“I understand why even if you oppose the Netanyahu government, you’re so prone to dismiss criticism from the outside world,” Emanuel said at Tel Aviv University’s Center for the Study of the United States, where he was invited to speak.
Though he spoke from Israel, Emanuel’s speech seemed directed toward an American audience. The Democratic stalwart is road testing a 2028 presidential campaign in which he has sought to position himself as a policy wonk. It remains to be seen whether his historically warm ties with Israel become a political liability in the Democratic Party.
Emanuel posted on X ahead of his remarks that he was not in Israel to “flatter anyone,” but rather because “real friends tell each other hard truths.”
While fighting back tears, Emanuel opened his speech by describing his visit to his uncle’s grave on the Mount of Olives the day before. He also noted that his father, a Jerusalem-born pediatrician, fought in Israel’s 1948 war of independence.
The former Chicago mayor added that he “had the honor” of inviting his father to witness Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin sign an ultimately unsuccessful peace framework in 1993 while working for the Clinton administration.
Emanuel went on to describe how Israel’s three efforts to offer Palestinians “sovereignty in exchange for its own security” only earned the country an “intifada.” The term, which has become a rallying cry on the Left, references periods of violence for Israelis.
Yet Emanuel went beyond merely acknowledging historical grievances, adding that he had come from Chicago to tell Israelis what must be done “if we are to maintain the historic alliance between two democracies.”
Emanuel chided the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as having led Israel to a “dead end.” He told the Israeli audience that the days of unconditional American support have been “our mistake” and “not a favor to you.”
“Unconditional support has allowed you to deny food and medical relief to innocent Palestinians in Gaza, leaving the world to conclude that Israelis not only want to kill Palestinians, but they are completely indifferent to their death, to their destruction, and completely indifferent to their suffering,” Emanuel said.
Emanuel did not explicitly allude to a presidential run, yet he did say that if he has “anything to say about this in the future,” Israeli settlers and politicians who support violence against Palestinian civilians “will be sanctioned.”
The former ambassador has served in the Democratic Party for decades, including as chief of staff to former President Barack Obama. In his autobiography, Netanyahu describes Emanuel as a “fiery opponent” of the Israeli Right during his time in the Obama administration. Emanuel also represented Illinois in the House of Representatives and served as mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019.
In the last few months, Emanuel has been setting the stage for a 2028 presidential run by making high-profile trips, speaking to media outlets about his vision for the United States, and weighing in on major events.
Emanuel is taking a public gamble on Israel. The country has become political kryptonite for Democratic politicians, with a new Associated Press-NORC poll finding that 58% of Democrats say the U.S. is “too supportive” of Israel.
“Israel does not have a problem with the Democratic Party. Israel has a problem in America,” Emanuel said on Israeli television during his trip.
Still, Democrats in particular have struggled on Israel, with many supporting congressional initiatives to stop funding or sending weapons to the Jewish nation. Support for Israel, Netanyahu, and major pro-Israel lobbying firm AIPAC have become center stage in many Democratic primaries of the 2026 election season.
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In Michigan, health official Abdul el Sayed has targeted his rival, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), over accepting money from AIPAC in her campaign for Senate.
“They clearly want one individual, and it’s not me,” el Sayed said at his debate Tuesday night with Stevens. “I don’t take that money.”