A Public Letter

To the Members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate,

Dear Members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate,

I write to you today as a public figure and an Israeli citizen, out of deep concern for the destructive influence Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to exert—on the future of the Middle East, on American foreign policy, and on the stability of the world at large.

For more than two decades, Netanyahu has demonstrated time and again that he is one of the most dangerous strategists in modern geopolitics—and without a doubt, the most failed statesman in Israel’s history. His decisions, and his persistent efforts to export his ideology to Washington, have inflicted profound harm: on Israel, on the region, and on vital American interests.

The record speaks for itself.

In September 2002, prior to the Iraq War, Netanyahu appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Speaking of Saddam Hussein, he declared: “If you take out Saddam, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region... There is no question whatsoever that Saddam is seeking and is working and is advancing toward the development of nuclear weapons. There is no question.” Every American lawmaker knows what followed. That “guarantee” ushered in a catastrophic war that claimed countless lives, cost trillions of dollars, and damaged America’s global standing in ways that reverberate to this day.

But Netanyahu did not learn. He repeated the very same manipulative maneuver in March 2015, again addressing Congress—this time to sabotage the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran. In 2018, he succeeded in pressuring the U.S. to withdraw from that deal. The result? Iran is now closer than ever to nuclear breakout; the U.S. is entangled in yet another avoidable regional crisis; Israel is caught in a war of its own making; moderate Arab states face escalating threats; and American assets across the region are increasingly vulnerable.

In October 2023, we witnessed the lethal consequences of Netanyahu’s poisonous doctrine. For years, he deliberately strengthened Hamas as a tactical counterweight to the Palestinian Authority, funneling resources and legitimacy to the most extreme elements while systematically weakening moderate forces. This short-sighted strategy culminated in the catastrophe of October 7.

As if all this were not enough, Netanyahu has also politicized the once-sacred bond between the U.S. and Israel. For decades, Israel enjoyed bipartisan support in Washington. Netanyahu, through crude interference in American elections and cynical alliances with partisan actors, has turned that relationship into a wedge issue—as if the United States were not a sovereign ally, but a subordinate arena for his personal political theater.

He acts as though he were an American official himself, arrogating to himself the right to intervene in domestic debates and dictate American foreign policy—as if he held veto power over the decisions of your sovereign democracy. As an Israeli citizen, I find this behavior outrageous. I trust you do too.

Let me be clear: Netanyahu does not represent the best interests of the Israeli people. He is not a reliable partner for a responsible U.S. foreign policy. I urge you—and your colleagues—to exercise your own judgment, to listen to a broader chorus of Israeli voices, and to stop treating one man’s destructive instincts as if they were national destiny.

Just as the Western world now rightly distinguishes between the Iranian people and the regime that oppresses them, so too must it differentiate between the people of Israel and the political self-interest of one man and his family. Netanyahu’s agenda stands in direct and dangerous opposition to the true interests of both our nations.

Don’t be misled by fleeting military victories. The Middle East is never that simple. The cycles of triumphalism and hubris always give way to protracted entanglement, grief, and despair.

Let us, instead, recall the prophetic verses of Bob Dylan:

Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they're forever banned?

Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?

Yes, and how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows
That too many people have died?

The answer, my friends, is blowin’ in the wind

The answer my friends is In the true American and Israeli spirit.
If the genuine interests of the United States are your compass - and if, within that compass, you hold a sincere concern for Israel’s future - then I implore you to do precisely the opposite of what Netanyahu demands:

- Rejoin and revive the nuclear deal with Iran.
- Advance a regional normalization framework centered on Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
- Do everything possible to end the war in Gaza and bring the hostages home.
- And most importantly: work toward a just and enduring peace agreement that honors the national aspirations of both peoples living between the Jordan River and the sea; Israeli and Palestinian alike.

A secure and democratic Israel is a stronger ally to the United States. Netanyahu’s Israel is an embarrassing burden - a tightening noose around both our necks.

Thank you for your time and attention.

With respect,
Avraham (Avrum) Burg
Israeli Citizen