Exactly four years ago in March 2015, attendees at the AIPAC conference found themselves in an awkward position. The Democratic Obama administration was conducting an all-out PR offensive to shepherd the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the Iran nuclear deal) through a skeptical Republican-controlled Congress.

Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, came to Washington to address the AIPAC conference, and also a joint session of Congress, at the GOP leadership’s invitation, to declare his opposition to the Iran deal — in the middle of an Israeli election campaign.

So AIPAC conference attendees found themselves placed squarely in between a popular visiting Israeli leader and a sitting US president who were at loggerheads over a critically important issue. Some administration officials were darkly hinting that Congress should ignore AIPAC advice on the issue, charging that the group did not have US interests at heart. Not the most comfortable position to be in.

Now, four years later, again in March, again two weeks before Knesset elections, Netanyahu will be flying to Washington to speak at the AIPAC conference, which again finds itself at the heart of a political debate. Some tables have turned this time around: Netanyahu will be warmly greeted by the current occupant of the Oval Office, President Trump. Meanwhile, the Democrats, who now control the US House of Representatives, are trying to put to rest a controversy over anti-Semitism sparked by three of their newest members. That brouhaha was ignited by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who criticized AIPAC’s influence in the halls of the Capitol.

Israel’s bipartisan support will be put to the test at this conference. On the Republican side, Vice President Mike Pence and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy are slated to attend, while Democratic attendees will include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. As of press time, no Democratic presidential candidates have confirmed their attendance.

Netanyahu will not be the only Israeli government official to speak before the AIPAC gathering; attendees will also hear from his chief opponent in the Knesset election, Benny Gantz. The audience will be watching to see how Gantz compares to the incumbent, and also how Gantz’s English comes across in a public setting — an indicator of whether he’s got what it takes to represent his country on a world stage.

To paraphrase Henry Kissinger, Israel has no foreign policy, only domestic policy. So while the conference will be held in Washington, Netanyahu and Gantz will be performing for an Israeli audience.

Four years ago, Netanyahu’s main election challengers, Yitzchak Herzog and Tzipi Livni, chose to fight on their home turf, declaring that the elections were about internal domestic issues —health, education, welfare, and personal security — not support in the US Congress. Israeli voters delivered their verdict on that.

This time, Benny Gantz has decided to introduce himself to US Jews by speaking before the AIPAC conference. He received a promise he’d be given the opportunity to speak in a format similar to Netanyahu’s. The decision is a bit surprising, since Gantz stands to lose more than he might gain from such an appearance. During his 2005–2009 stint as IDF military attach? in Washington, his English was more than passable, but nowhere near Netanyahu’s polish. The AIPAC audience makes a point of showing their appreciation for Netanyahu. If Gantz is able to garner no more than a polite round of applause, it won’t help him.

Unlike with Netanyahu’s 2015 visit to Washington, this time he can count on a warm greeting from the president. Trump’s enthusiastic support will certainly energize the Likud base, casting Netanyahu as a world leader versus the neophyte Gantz. Additionally, no one will faint from shock if Trump openly endorses Netanyahu. (Trump actually did so in 2013, before he was a presidential candidate, when he put out a video supporting Netanyahu. Likud used the video in the election campaign.)

The matter of timing is also crucial. Gantz is slated to speak on Monday. The exact hour hasn’t been decided yet, but Gantz’s speech will air around the same time that Trump is expected to welcome Netanyahu in the Oval Office. Even if Gantz’s speech is broadcast live, there’s no way it could compete with Bibi’s meeting with the president.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 753)