Biden leaves Israel out to dry

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T

Rarely has there been a frostier scene between two world leaders than Wednesday's meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Israel. Their mutual disgust was unmistakable.

The two had discussed Hamas's preposterous counteroffer to a proposal for a six-week ceasefire that would result in the release of the "civilian" hostages who are being held in Gaza. Hamas demanded the release of 1,500 Palestinian prisoners, the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, funding to rebuild Gaza, and the return of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Netanyahu dismissed the offer as "delusional" and said there was no substitute for "complete victory" over Hamas in Gaza.

At a press conference afterward, Blinken said that despite containing "some clear nonstarters," Hamas's counteroffer "creates space for agreement to be reached." He also called for a two-state solution. Blinken's response told the world precisely whose side the Biden administration is on.

The administration's irrational pursuit of a Palestinian state inside of Israel is an impossible dream. And its continued efforts to achieve a two-state solution in the tiny sliver of the Middle East that is the Jewish state are sabotaging Israel's ability to win the war. And Israelis are catching on.

According to veteran Israeli journalist Caroline Glick, Israeli activists are demanding that "President Joe Biden stop leveraging power to force Israel to resupply Hamas" and have begun blocking trucks from delivering aid to Gaza. They feel that the Biden administration's insistence upon providing food, water, and fuel to Gaza, 70% of which is commandeered by Hamas operatives, is prolonging the war. And their resentment is growing.

Speaking at an event in Ashdod Port, Israel, last week, activist Shifra Shahar had a message for Israeli leaders: "Get a hold of yourselves! We had elections last year. I don't recall voting for Blinken! Blinken is sitting in the war Cabinet and protecting the interests of my enemy."

"We have sons in Gaza. We have sons fighting," she warned. "The entry of the trucks endangers them, prolongs the war, increases the number of casualties, and delays the return of the hostages!"

Shafar continued, "They tell me, 'There are constraints.' He who is constrained doesn't win the war. They tell me, 'The Americans are threatening not to provide us with ammunition.' To this, I say, if we were besieging them, we wouldn't need ammunition! The war would end. They'd be screaming for help, returning the hostages, and the war would end!"

The Biden administration's disdain for Netanyahu is impossible to hide. In addition to its insistence on supplying humanitarian aid to Gazans, its nonstop pursuit of a ceasefire, its use of words such as "proportionality," and its refusal to admit that Iran is ultimately responsible for the upheaval in the region combine to deliver the message that it is more interested in protecting Israel's enemies than Israeli citizens.

In January, NBC News reported that the Biden administration was "considering pausing or slowing some arms shipments to Israel to convince the government to heed U.S. calls to scale back its military assault in Gaza." Sources told NBC that "at the direction of the White House, the Pentagon has been reviewing what weaponry Israel has requested that could be used as leverage, said the sources." Our closest ally in the Middle East is fighting for its survival, and the United States is assessing how to leverage weapons shipments to force an end to the war.

Last week, sources toldAxios that "Blinken asked the State Department to conduct a review and present policy options on possible U.S. and international recognition of a Palestinian state after the war in Gaza." This is an incredible betrayal of a key ally.

Of course, the most logical solution to the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza would be to let them leave Gaza, at least for the duration of the war. But Egypt and Jordan have refused to allow them into their countries because they know that where Palestinians go, trouble follows. According to Glick, several places, including Chechnya, Turkey, Scotland, and Canada, have expressed their willingness to accept Gazan refugees. Unfortunately, the U.S. is vehemently opposed to this option. In a January speech in Tel Aviv, Blinken declared that "[t]he United States unequivocally rejects any proposals advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza."

These are only a few of the many egregious injustices the administration has initiated to get Netanyahu to "play ball" since the war began. They are now completely fed up with the prime minister's refusal to allow them to control the war, and if a recent report from NBC's Andrea Mitchell is accurate, "the Biden administration is looking past Netanyahu to try to achieve its goals in the region."

She explained that "the Biden administration is trying to lay the groundwork with other Israeli and civil society leaders in anticipation of an eventual post-Netanyahu government. In an attempt to work around Netanyahu, [during his visit to Israel,] Blinken also met individually with members of his war Cabinet and other Israeli leaders, including opposition leader … Yair Lapid."

Last weekend, Politico reported that "according to people who've talked to the president," Biden privately called Netanyahu a "bad f***ing guy." Although a White House spokesman immediately denied the allegation, I'm inclined to believe it.

Netanyahu had better watch his back. Biden has an election to win, and his minions will stop at nothing to achieve victory.