TEL AVIV (VINnews) – Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a speech Wednesday at Tel Aviv University, accusing him of relying almost exclusively on military force and pushing Israel toward greater international isolation.

Speaking at the university, Emanuel praised Israel’s accomplishments since its founding in 1948 but warned that the country risks becoming “a prisoner of its own tools.”

Wishing you and @RahmEmanuel a long and happy life together far away from Israel and the corridors of power. https://t.co/Q6HG231aFb

— David M Friedman (@DavidM_Friedman) July 8, 2026

“Your military is a hammer, such that, to the prime minister, Netanyahu, every security challenge is a nail,” Emanuel said.

He argued that successive U.S. administrations made “a mistake” by offering Israel support “without conditions, without demands, without consequences.”

Rahm Emanuel Remarks at Tel Aviv University https://t.co/NvucBmkt2I

— Rahm Emanuel (@RahmEmanuel) July 8, 2026

“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 also recalled clashes with Netanyahu during the administrations of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama over Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, saying Netanyahu once publicly labeled him “a self-loathing Jew.”

The former ambassador called for closer cooperation with Arab nations and support for Palestinian self-determination. He also said that, if given the opportunity, he would support sanctions targeting new Israeli settlements, violent settlers, and Israeli officials who promote settlement expansion.

Addressing both sides of the conflict, Emanuel declared:

“Those chanting ‘from the river to the sea’ need to hear this. You will never have your way. But those calling for a ‘Greater Israel,’ you need to hear this. You will never have your way, either.”

The speech comes as Democratic support for Israel continues to decline. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Tuesday found that 58% of Democrats believe the United States supports Israel too much, while 20% said the current level of support is appropriate.