“I feel like I’ve done something good for the country by making sure that Donald Trump is not going to be president for four more years,” Joe Biden said, taking a bit of a victory lap with Tom Friedman the other day. Believe me, I’m grateful, Joe. So are billions of other people.
Now Biden wants to go two-for-two: he wants to take out Benjamin Netanyahu. And it looks like he will get a chance, as Israel lurches toward another election next year.
Let go inside Biden’s brain. The former senator is a brilliant politician. You have to give him that. Third-rate mind, first-rate temperament (per the old definition). Biden ran a great campaign, without one misstep. He knows how to delegate. His statements since the election have been faultless. He will have 7 million votes and 4 percentage points over Trump when this is done. Dragonslayer.
Now Biden’s ambitions have moved on; and getting rid of Netanyahu serves him in countless ways.
1, Biden dreams of being a great president; after all, the circumstances demand greatness. But to even start down that road, Biden needs to get out from under the shadow of Barack Obama. One way he will do that is, take a different path with Netanyahu than Obama did. No, Joe Biden is not as smart or chill or well-spoken as Obama, but he is way better at politics/relationships. Look for an all-new relationship. Biden has secretly hated Israeli arrogance for 40 years, and starting Day 1 he will give Netanyahu a smile and a wave and the cold shoulder. He will be able to do what Obama couldn’t because, He is not a greenhorn, to be tested from the very start–no, Biden has a long history of being a “Zionist” and loving “Bibi”– and of course he’s not a black man with leftwing errata on his resume.
2, The politics have changed, and Biden knows it. Yes he’s an old fogy but he knows that his base HATES Netanyahu. Every supposed Israel-Lover Biden has on his team, from Antony Blinken to Avril Haines to Tamara Wittes, on down the line — they hate that asshole for everything he has done to destroy the Iran deal and to show up Obama back when, and to suck up to Trump and destroy the two-state solution. And yes it’s personal. Jen Psaki and Neera Tanden both had their resumes befouled by Netanyahu, but who has the hammer now? Netanyahu figured he couldn’t poison the relationship because he had the Israel lobby at his back. Famously: “America is a thing that can be easily moved.” That was true under Obama. Now not so much. A good portion of the Israel lobby inside the Democratic Party HATES Netanyahu. All those people — J Street — will have Biden’s back as he goes into the Iran deal and puts his foot down on settlements and tells Israel, The party’s over.
3, Biden will interfere in his own way in Israeli politics. It’s no coincidence that his foreign policy team is loaded with putative “Zionists.” And Biden’s Jewish-with-Holocaust-pedigree Secretary of State will send a chill to Netanyahu out of the gate. Blinken will deliver John Kerry’s death-of-the-two-state solution speech of 2016 but do it with klezmer. Biden has been around a long time and he knows one thing about Israeli politics. They are HUGELY engaged with U.S. politics. Martin Indyk has told Biden one of the key points from his own memoir–
Yitzhak Shamir [in ’92] and Bibi Netanyahu [in ’99] lost their reelection bids in large part because the Israeli electorate saw them as ignoring or flouting the concerns of American presidents.
Two centrist generals (who had committed a lot of human rights violations) replaced those rightwingers: Yitzhak Rabin and Ehud Barak. Biden wants to do the same magic trick with Benny Gantz. Israelis will see that they are out of step with the U.S. and they’ll choose Gantz because he is more fluid than Netanyahu.
Will it work? Probably not. Israeli Jewish politics are very rightwing. Frankly, the place is irredeemable. (Apartheid corrupts the soul.)
But expect some bold signals from the Biden administration. Putting Netanyahu on Ignore. Adopting a firm stance against further settlements. Maybe some outreach to Ayman Odeh of the Joint List.
The impetus here is How much Democrats hate Netanyahu. And hate the fact that he sits outside their door like an overgrown troll. I’m sure it’s not in his bullshit memoir, but Barack Obama complained about Netanyahu to Sarkozy on a hot mike nearly 10 years ago, “You’re tired of him; what about me? I have to deal with him every day.”
About the same time, Netanyahu humiliated Joe Biden when he came to Israel, announcing new settlements as the vice presidential plane touched down.
Now Netanyahu’s at it again, pushing settlements to see how Biden responds.
When I was a young journalist, Don Fraser the late former mayor of Minneapolis (and a truly emulable person), told me that one of the pleasures of a long political career was getting even. If someone screwed you, you just have to be patient, he said with a smile. One day, you’ll get your shot, and take it. Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Joe Biden is about to get that chance.
h/t James North.
This seems like wishful thinking. You did this with Obama too. I am not going to rule it out because Democrats mostly don’t like Netanyahu ( though often just because he sided openly with Republicans in 2012). But Biden and Blinken are both going to support Israel no matter what, or so they have said.
Remember what most of our mother’s taught us “don’t hate the person” hate what they do. I hate that Netanyahu has been committed to the theft of internationally recognized Palestinian land, killed Palestinians, persistently humiliated Palestinians, expandedf illegal settlements, driven the possibility of a two state solution to hell, destroyed Palestinians olive trees, agricultural growth, cut off water, electricity for Palestinians. HATE that he along with cronies pushed for the invasion of Iraq, Libya, Syria, Interfered big time in Iran deal (Schumer went along), still trying to start a war with Iran etc etc…”I hate what he does” I hate his clear and committed RACISM. ok ok sometimes I hate him but try not to.. He belongs in line at the Hague for war crimes without a doubt…BIG TIME.
Would like to think Biden is going to try to IGNORE or disarm BB’s influence. Just don’t believe it with the Blinken appointment. All set up for a smooth transition from Pompeo to Blinken. All the latest gifts Pompeo set up (Made in Israel) etc will not be challenged at all. Blinken has already said “On June 17, 2020, Blinken said that Biden “would not tie military assistance to Israel to things like annexation or other decisions by the Israeli government with which we might disagree.”[46] Blinken praised the Trump administration-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.[47][48]“
cont
“Blinken supported the 2011 military intervention in Libya[24] and the supply of weapons to Syrian rebels.[27] He condemned the 2016 Turkish coup d’état attempt and expressed full support for the democratically elected Turkish government and its institutions, but also criticized the 2016–present purges in Turkey.[28][29] In April 2015, Blinken voiced support for the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.[30] He said that “As part of that effort, we have expedited weapons deliveries, we have increased our intelligence sharing, and we have established a joint coordination planning cell in the Saudi operation centre.”[31]
Blinken worked with Biden on requests for American money to replenish Israel‘s arsenal of Iron Dome interceptor missiles during the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflic”
Phil “Let’s get inside Biden’s brain”. Why you or your inside hot tipper think Biden has any interest in pushing Netanyahu aside is way beyond me.
Phil “Biden ran a great campaign, without one misstep.” It was Jennifer O’Malley who ran Biden’s basically flawless, masterful campaign. Joe was wise enough to hire her and allow her to lead. Give him that.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/us/politics/jennifer-omalley-dillon-biden.html
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British parliamentarians urge Israeli government to stop forced evictions of Palestinians in West Bank | Council for Arab-British Understanding (caabu.org)
“British parliamentarians urge Israeli government to stop forced evictions of Palestinians in West Bank” Council for Arab-British Understanding
EXCERPT:
“Four British parliamentarians, representing all major political parties in the UK, have written to the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabi Ashkenazi & the Israeli Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz, urging them to stop forced evictions of Palestinian communities in Firing Zone 918 in the Masafer Yatta region of the South Hebron Hills.
“Concern around this issue has only increased following the large-scale demolitions in Khirbet Hamsa in the northern Jordan Valley earlier on 3 November 2020 & the threat to demolish a UK funded school in the Bedouin community of Ras a-Tin, among others.
“Co-Chairs of the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group, Julie Elliott MP (Labour) & Baroness Sayeeda Warsi (Conservative), Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Layla Moran MP & Shadow Scottish National Party Leader of the House of Commons, Tommy Sheppard MP, call on the Israeli government to halt all demolitions & evictions.
“The letter states: ‘The existence of a military firing zone in the occupied territories is itself illegal, and, for decades, the Israeli government has advanced a coercive environment for Palestinian communities in Firing Zone 918 by regularly carrying out demolitions of homes, schools, & other buildings; refusing to approve master plans or building permits for these communities; & denying these communities access to electricity & other infrastructure. If these residents are now evicted & forcibly transferred out of their land, it will be both a grave injustice & constitute a serious breach of the Fourth Geneva convention.’
“‘As UK parliamentarians, we are committed to upholding international humanitarian law, & we take very seriously the prospect of forcible transfer, which would involve hundreds of individuals being uprooted from their homes & losing the land which is rightfully theirs.’ (cont’d)
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”’In light of this, we call upon the Israeli government to freeze all demolitions in Firing Zone 918 and halt all attempts to forcibly transfer the residents; to nullify the military firing zone in the area, which is illegal under international law; and to approve master plans and building permits for which the communities have applied, as well as connection to infrastructure.’
“Responding to the letter, Co-Chair of the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group and Labour MP, Julie Elliott said:
“‘I am so disturbed to see so many demolitions of Palestinian homes and other structures across the West Bank, with so many Palestinians made homeless and their livelihoods destroyed, most recently in Khirbet Hamsa in the northern Jordan Valley and the threat to demolish a UK funded school in the Bedouin community of Ras a-Tin, among others. Under what circumstances are these illegal acts acceptable?'”