The extremity of Israel’s war on Gaza has become so unbearable that there are at last cracks in its political support. And the massive effort that Joe Biden has undertaken to back Israel no matter what it does is raising questions even in mainstream politics.
There is, to begin with, the crisis over Netanyahu’s declaration that there must never be a Palestinian state. This totally contradicts U.S. policy— lip service to a Palestinian state. And it thereby incurred rebukes by Biden’s official spokesmen: the only way to get peace in the region is a two-state solution.
“Democrats ‘appalled’ by Netanyahu’s bashing of two-state solution,” Politico reported. “Growing number of Senate Democrats question Biden’s Israel strategy” – the Washington Post. Five Democratic senators said they would join 13 who had endorsed a measure to condition supplemental aid to Israel– more than a third of the Democratic caucus.
Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen said Israel is thumbing its nose at the president (hardly the first time) so it’s time to stop the quiet diplomacy and take Netanyahu on. “It’s pretty clear that Netanyahu is listening much more to the extremists in his government than the president of the United States and the Biden administration,” Van Hollen said.
Van Hollen adopts the cover story precious to Democratic leaders and liberal Zionists, It’s all Netanyahu’s fault. We can get to the two-state solution, if we get “regime change” in Israel and in Gaza, Bradley Burston told Americans for Peace Now this week.
That’s a delusion. The truth is that no Israeli government ever intended to allow the creation of a Palestinian state, as Jonathan Ofir explained at our site.
Lest there was any doubt about this, Isaac Herzog, the supposedly liberal president of Israel, said at Davos that this is not time for a Palestinian state. The world needs to get back to normalizing Israel with Arab monarchies, he said. “In Israel,” he said, “nobody in his right mind is willing now to think about what will be the solution of the peace agreements.”
Former peace processor Aaron David Miller gave a similar comment to BBC. This Palestinian state talk needs to wait till Biden’s second term — and a change in government in Israel. The lobby group Democratic Majority for Israel provided the same script. Netanyahu’s statement about two states is “morally wrong,” but war is no time to be playing “domestic politics” with Israel support. I.e., the Israel lobby won’t hear of anything but backing Netanyahu right now.
So Israel’s war for apartheid must be the cause of the world. Joe Biden is on board. His statement on 100 days of the Gaza war was titled – “Statement from President Joe Biden Marking 100 Days of Captivity for Hostages in Gaza“.
Biden continues to speak entirely from the Israeli perspective, ignoring the ethnic cleansing of Gaza that has killed over 25,000 people, the overwhelming majority of whom are civilians. Biden wants to keep the Israel lobby on his side for his reelection campaign. He doesn’t care about the Democratic base.
How long will American leaders remain trapped by Israeli traumas? How long will they continue to indulge the delusions of an apartheid state that apartheid can go on without resistance? When as anyone can see, Israel’s war crimes are seeding violent resistance.
Like the destruction of al-Isra University in Gaza, which Israeli forces had used as a base of operations till they demolished the school three days ago. At the State Department, the Associated Press reporter expressed outrage over the action:
“It looks like a controlled demolition. It looks like what we do here in this country, when we’re taking down an old hotel or a stadium. And you have nothing to say? You have nothing to say about this? And it’s not troubling to you?” Matt Lee said.
“You keep saying that you want Israel not to destroy the infrastructure. Yet we have seen almost a total destruction of all infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, roads, cemeteries…. Tell us in any way that the Government of Israel is really paying heed to what you tell them, in any way, by any measure. They’re not listening to you.”
Israel has reportedly destroyed 95 schools and universities in its righteous obliteration of Gaza. And finally– reporters are grilling Biden’s spokespeople.
“The edifice of hypocrisy is falling away bit by bit,” as Khaled Elgindy put it.
Thanks for reading,
Phil Weiss
I recently read statements by Netanyahu and other state officials about the need for Palestinians to be “deradicalized”. What a bizarro world we live.
The Apartheid state which long before October 7th engaged in ethnic cleansing, torture, home demolition, abuse of civilians at checkpoints, destruction of ancient olive trees, support of violent WB settlers, enforced a 16 year barbaric siege of Gaza, assassinated Palestinian politicians, killed journalists, bulldozed to death the beautiful young American peace activist Rachel Corrie, repeatedly “mowed the grass” in Gaza, oversaw the slaughter of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Israel, bombed multiple neighbouring countries, used genocidal rhetoric toward Gaza and on and on an on. And it’s the Palestinians that need to be deradicalized??
One has to give credit to Israel and their worldwide propagandists for their jaw-dropping success in making the oppressor the victim and the victim the oppressor.
Ministerial reaction to Netanyahu’s declaration here in the UK has been pathetic: it’s “disappointing”. At least Micheal Martin, Ireland’s foreign minister called it “unacceptable”.
RE: “And the massive effort that Joe Biden has undertaken to back Israel no matter what it does is raising questions even in mainstream politics.”
MY COMMENT: No matter what Joe “The Genocider” Biden does between now and the election, under no circumstances will I vote for the old coot!
■ coot
/ko͞ot/
noun
2..INFORMAL
a foolish or eccentric person, typically an old man.
“Israel’s war crimes are seeding violent resistance.”
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It’s long been assumed Israel’s arming Palestinians with weapons, was to create a “counterbalance” to the PLO. a divide strategy. While true, IMO, the primary objective was cultivating the “right of self-defense”, “permission” to do it their way and at the time of their choosing.
Facilitating the weapons flow into Gaza and the WB is now being capitalized on to facilitate control of all land from the river to the sea. Creating facts that can’t be undone. The actual game being played is not well understood.
The calculation is to victimize, jam down the boot, to generate attacks. When a “successful” attack comes, decide if its ripe politically to advance. The indifference now to hostages, after trading 1000 for Shalit, throws light on how calculating and deceptive the game has been.