Biden Draws a ‘Red Line’ for Israel
Category: Op/Ed
Via: vic-eldred • 9 months ago • 26 commentsBy: By The Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
President Biden likes to say that no President has been a better friend to Israel, but of late he doesn’t sound like it. He beat up Israel’s leaders in his State of the Union speech, criticized its war strategy in Gaza with regularity, and on the weekend called Israel’s plans to clear Hamas from its last stronghold in the city of Rafah a “red line” that Israel shouldn’t cross.
“It is a red line, but I am never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical. So there is no red line I am going to cut off all weapons, so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them,” Mr. Biden said on MSNBC. “But there’s red lines that if he crosses,” without finishing his train of thought, before adding “you cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead.”
As is often the case, it’s hard to tell what Mr. Biden means. He wants fewer civilian casualties in Gaza, but so does Israel since the diplomatic consequences fall on the Jewish state, not on Hamas. That’s why Israel has held off on its Rafah campaign until it can put together a plan to let civilians find refuge to the city’s north.
The best way to protect civilians would be for Egypt to let them cross the border into Sinai until the fighting stops. But Mr. Biden hasn’t been willing to lean on Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, despite some $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid to Cairo.
Israel can’t avoid a Rafah campaign if it wants to achieve its war aim of destroying Hamas. Surely Mr. Biden knows this. The U.S. didn’t let ISIS retain its stronghold in Mosul in Iraq, and the siege of that city also had unintended civilian casualties.
Mr. Biden and the White House are also letting everyone know they’re especially unhappy with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mr. Biden was overheard saying after his State of the Union speech that Mr. Netanyahu needs a “come to Jesus moment” with the U.S. President. Mr. Netanyahu should bring his whole war cabinet. As our Elliot Kaufman reports from Israel (see nearby), Mr. Netanyahu’s domestic political opponents also want to clear Hamas from Rafah.
Mr. Biden’s vocal criticism of Israel can’t be separated from his desire to appease his party’s increasingly insistent anti-Israel wing. He wants to avoid a protest spectacle at the Democratic convention in August, and he’s worried about losing Michigan as young people and Arab-Americans defect. It sounds like his Israel policy increasingly runs through Dearborn, Mich.
This also explains the urgent efforts to negotiate a cease-fire and hostage swap that Israel keeps accepting but Hamas rejects. Mr. Biden’s new proposal to have U.S. troops build an offshore pier to deliver aid to Gaza is also in part a U.S. domestic political play.
There are costs to this Dearborn strategy toward Israel—not least its message to Hamas and its backers in Iran that their strategy of putting civilians in harm’s way is working politically. Why agree to a hostage swap if their current strategy is driving a wedge between Israel and the U.S.?
Mr. Biden’s red-line threats don’t help Israel or his political standing at home. The best way he can help himself politically is to let Israel win the war as rapidly as possible.
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Biden has a big problem with his left.
This is foreign policy dictated by domestic politics.
Every time Biden opens his mouth, hamas’s position grows stronger. Every time Hamas refuses a deal for hostages, Biden pressures Israel.
So, Biden favors Hamas over Israel
If he wants Michigan & Minnesota.
Antisemites are like that.
All of Biden's demands are dictated to Israel, and none to Hamas. Has he demanded that Hamas surrender, threatened them with more than "red lines" if they don't? No, he has not, even though it is inevitable that Hamas is going to lose eventually, but they will never surrender because if they don't die fighting they will not get to deflower their 72 virgins in The Garden of Allah and be considered Muslim martyrs. After all, a surrender would end the bloodshed saving the lives of the very people they are responsible to protect, open Gaza to all needed aid and start the rebuilding, but why surrender when Hamas has already won the war - war of the whole world's public opinion.
Face it. Biden damned if he does and damned if he doesn't no matter what according to his MAGA minded detractors in the gop...
Well, in a sense he is. His radical base supports the Palestinians and the general public supports Israel.
Right now, he is obviously worried about his base. It is a no-win game politically. For Israel it is not a game.
So we agree, Biden is damned
MAGA won't vote for Brandon no matter what- so he doesn't care what they think.
Brandon's far left radical feckless base is what he cares about. He remembers 2016 when the Bernie Bros helped tank Hillary's bid.
Israel should just ignore Brandon like they have been. Everyone else does- including the Palestinians- who aren't fooled by Brandon's asinine air drops of food and medicine; which aren't even enough to feed a small faction of the over 1.5 million displaced-much the less the 2 plus million in Gaza. His build a large temporary port in Gaza won't accomplish that goal either. It will just put US lives at risk in a war zone. Neither Israel or Hamas give a shit about US lives. They have proven it in the past- and will do so again.
Brandon doesn't dare cut off Israel or he will lose his Jewish support; and even more importantly Democrats will lose the AIPAC money that comes with it. Even if he had the stones to do it Republicans and pro Israeli Democrats would override his veto.
About the only thing Brandon can be thankful for is that Trump backs the ultra radical Zionist plan of forcing the Palestinians out of the West Bank and Gaza. A portion of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon would become the new Palestine. Not that any of the countries involved have agreed to it. Nor would more Palestinians be welcome there.
Joe pay attention:
Netanyahu just said Israel will defy Biden's 'red line' on Rafah
Because he knows Brandon is full of shit. Just like everyone else.
Joe Biden's red line is probably much like the President he served under.
Meaningless.
Who in the hell is Biden to dictate to Israel how to proceed in war?
History repeats itself. President Ronald Reagan faced the exact same dilemma in 1982 and his response for those of you who were too young to remember or blocked it from you memory bank because it was a Republican this is what happened.
REAGAN DEMANDS END TO ATTACKS IN A BLUNT TELEPHONE CALL TO BEGIN
Brandon is no Reagan.
Also, the PLO didn't have Israeli hostages- so the two are not similar. Reagan was also trying to negotiate a peaceful withdrawal of Palestinian fighters from Beirut when Begin ordered the attack. Same can't be said of Brandon.
Nice series of excuses since currently negotiations are on going with Hamas then of course there where the two bombings of the US embassy and Marine barracks the next year. If you don’t think the situations are similar that is on you. Americans, Palestinians and jews are all in danger in both instances as thousands of Palestinian civilians are dying every day. JHC wake up.
Reagan is no Biden since Reagan threatened to cut aff arms and Biden has not in fact just the opposite.
Negotiating with known terrorists hellbent on your destruction seems rather pointless and stupid to me.
... that's going to be my motto when trump calls out the crazies right after he loses on 11/5/24.
Oooh, do you have your big, really BIG, black gun all loaded and ready to go for the imaginary war?
is that what I said? are you putting words in my mouth?
No one put any words in your mouth, plain to see.
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EXCELLENT! The projection is ingrained ain't it?
LOL!
And SHOULD be to anyone with a brain in their head.
Crickets still chirping. Did the PLO have Israeli or US hostages? Was the PLO responsible for the bombings of the US barracks in Lebanon?
As for the negotiations with Hamas did Brandon start them before or after the Israeli incursion into Gaza?
Both Bibi and the Palestinians know that Brandon is full of shit. The only way to bring Israel to heel is cut off all aid to them. He won't and can't do that. Congress would override his attempt in a heart beat; with both sides blaming him.
Maybe Brandon can show the Palestinians how much he cares about them by literally dropping some more aid packages on them?
It isn't like the amount of aid being sent to Gaza will put even a dent in those suffering from starvation, exposure, and lack of medical treatment. It is just a meaningless attempt to placate Brandon's radical base.
No crickets just reality screaming in your ear.