The Shift: U.S. preemptively backs Israel after Iran attack

This election’s October Surprise arrived promptly on the first day of the month, ironically delivered by the outgoing Democratic president.

The Biden administration has supported Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza since it began and there’s currently no signs that it will alter its approach. White House officials periodically express some level of mild frustration with the direction of things and occasionally we are told that the President is very angry at Netanyahu, but who can possibly take this song and dance seriously after a year of utter destruction?

We are also told that the administration is “working toward a ceasefire,” but at this point, the phrase has been diluted of any meaning, and it effectively serves the same function as invoking the need for a “two-state solution.” Which is to say, it’s a hollow expression continually sprinkled upon the emerging State Department platitudes of the given week.

It used to just be Netanyahu who publicly refuted the chances of a truce, but now Biden officials are admitting that there’s no chance of a deal before Biden leaves office.

Critics of U.S. policy have consistently warned that Netanyahu’s actions could lead to a widened war in the region and (per usual) these voices have been proven correct.

Iran responded to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon with a barrage of missiles, further ratcheting up tension between the countries. Netanyahu has vowed to make Iran “pay” and underscored Israel’s, “determination to retaliate against our enemies.”

“The choice has never been clearer between tyranny and freedom, between blessing and curse,” declared Netanyahu. “Israel is on the move, and the axis of evil is retreating.”

Now where have we heard that one before?

Back in the United States, a number of lawmakers are also embracing the vibes of 2003. For decades, a large number of congressional members have been baying for blood in Iran. The faces may change, but the murderous contingent remains strong.

“Only threatening the survival of the regime through maximum pressure and direct and disproportionate measures has a chance to influence and alter their criminal activities,” says Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL).

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) tweeted out this apocalyptic fantasy:

“This is a moment of choosing for the free world regarding Iran. The Ayatollah and Iranian regime are religious Nazis who want to destroy the state of Israel – their words, not mine. They want to purify Islam and attack the United States – again, their words, not mine. This missile attack against Israel should be the breaking point and I would urge the Biden Administration to coordinate an overwhelming response with Israel, starting with Iran’s ability to refine oil. These oil refineries need to be hit and hit hard because that is the source of cash for the regime to perpetrate their terror. My prayers are with the people of Israel, and may God continue to bless Israel.”

We don’t see this kind of extreme rhetoric from every lawmaker, but both parties already seem unified in supporting whatever Israel does next, regardless of how much death and destruction it causes.

Biden said he opposes Netanyahu hitting Iran’s nuclear sites, but why should anyone trust such a statement? Thanks to reporting from Politico we know that his own advisors backed Israel’s invasion of Lebanon while he was publicly calling for a ceasefire. Will we see a similar contradiction play out on Iran?

It’s telling that the first question of this week’s vice-presidential debate was essentially, should a foreign country start a war?

“If you are the final voice in the Situation Room, would you support or oppose a preemptive strike by Israel on Iran?,” CBS’s Margaret Brennan asked the candidates

Here was Walz: “Israel’s ability to be able to defend itself is absolutely fundamental. Getting its hostages back, fundamental, and ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But the expansion of Israel and its proxies is an absolute fundamental necessity for the United States to have the steady leadership there. You saw that experience today, where, along with our Israeli partners and our coalition, (we’re) able to stop the incoming attack. But what’s fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter.”

It’s possible that Walz meant “the expansion of Iran” there, but that’s quite the Freudian slip if so.

Maryland Win

A victory for activists in Maryland, where a federal court just ruled that a Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter can hold a vigil for Gaza on October 7.

The event was originally approved by the University of Maryland (UMD), but the administration eventually put out a statement saying no student-led activities would be allowed on the anniversary of the Hamas attack.

The statement declared the school would only allow, “university-sponsored events that promote reflection.”

Palestine Legal and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) sued the university on behalf of the SJP group.

“It is clear..the decision to revoke its permission to SJP to hold its event on October 7 was neither viewpoint-neutral, nor content-neutral, nor narrowly tailored to serve a significant government interest,” said Judge Peter Messitte in his ruling. “The decision clearly came in response to possible speech that several groups or individuals claimed would be highly objectionable.”

“We’re glad the court recognized that the University can’t allow racist threats of violence to dictate who gets to speak and who doesn’t,” said Tori Porell, staff attorney at Palestine Legal. “This ruling is not just a win for Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Maryland, but for all students speaking out for Palestinian freedom across the country.”

“We’re thrilled with the court’s decision. If the First Amendment didn’t protect students who seek to mourn a genocide and educate the public about it, then it’s meaningless,” said CAIR Deputy Litigation Director Gadeir Abbas.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore has condemned the court’s decision. “I think Oct. 7 is an inappropriate date for such an event,” said Moore a statement. “Terrorists target civilians, and that’s what Hamas did a year ago on Oct. 7. And that’s what that day should be remembered as — a heinous terrorist attack on Israel that took innocent lives.”

“We know that what happens around the world has direct implications on the Maryland community,” Moore told Jewish Insider. “I’ve been clear — everyone in Maryland has the right to peacefully protest, to voice their opinions. But no one has the right to call for violence against each other.”

“Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Maryland has achieved a historic victory for the student movement for justice and liberation by compelling Maryland’s flagship university to cease violations of our First Amendment rights and respect students’ freedom of speech,” posted UMD SJP on social media.

Odds & Ends

🇺🇸 Biden would rather defend Israeli impunity than stop a regional war

⚖️ American Bar Association endorses bill to codify controversial IHRA antisemitism definition after refusing to adopt it itself

🫏 Inside the Uncommitted movement’s failure to move the Democratic Party on the Gaza genocide

🏫 Open Letter to Educators: The ADL is not a social justice partner

🍁 For the first time ever there will be a vote in Congress on blocking weapons to Israel

🚫 In These Times: U.S. Jewish Institutions Are Purging Their Staffs of Anti-Zionists

🇮🇷 Responsible Statecraft: Iran bombs Israel, but buck stops with Biden

🤫 Politico: US officials quietly backed Israel’s military push against Hezbollah

📨 Common Dreams: Veterans Group Calls for Grand Jury Probe of Blinken for Enabling Israel’s Genocide

🇮🇱 Counterpunch: Israel’s War on Lebanon and Netanyahu’s October Surprise to Pick the Next U.S. President

💬 IfNotNow Movement national spokesperson Eva Borgwardt released the following statement on the regional escalation:

We are watching today’s escalation in horror and fear — the Israeli military’s invasion of southern Lebanon and continued airstrikes that have killed hundreds of Lebanese civilians and displaced one million people; Iranian missiles raining down on Israel; a shooting attack that killed seven Israelis in Jaffa; the displacement of tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes in the North; and the Israeli military’s continued bombardment, starvation, and siege of Palestinians in Gaza, which has already killed tens of thousands — with many more likely uncounted — and forcibly expelled millions.

For the last year, we have been calling for a ceasefire and hostage exchange — and for the U.S. to stop sending the Israeli military the bombs and the planes to enable Netanyahu’s genocidal assault on Gaza. Biden’s insistence on continuing to send weapons in violation of U.S. law is directly enabling Israel to provoke regional war through a deranged strategy of ‘de-escalation through escalation.’ This makes no one safer. American politicians are beating the drums for war with Iran. Further escalation will only bring more suffering to Palestinians, Israelis, Lebanese, Iranians, and people throughout the region.

Ceasefire Now. Free Them All. No War With Iran. Not Another Bomb.”

⚽ BDS National Committee: FIFA votes this week. Banning genocidal apartheid Israel should be a no brainer!

📺 Middle East Eye: US: Social media users slam ‘interrogation’ of Ta-Nehisi Coates over Palestine

🗳️ Uncommitted National Movement co-founder Abbas Alawieh talking about Kamala Harris’s chances of winning over Arab-American voters:

“Both Biden and Harris have repeatedly refused our requests for them to meet with family members of Palestinian Americans and Lebanese Americans who have family on the receiving end of Netanyahu’s war crimes. There are tangible steps that Harris can take right now to build with this community that the Democratic Party has abandoned, has betrayed, in order for us to re-engage these voters. It requires looking them in the face as you send weapons to kill their family members. It’s a simple ask. Vice President Harris, why won’t you sit down with Lebanese Americans and Palestinian Americans who have family in Gaza? We’ve asked repeatedly, why are you saying no? I would recommend that as a first step to coming into this community and asking them for their vote.”

🎓 Ithaca Times: Cornell Graduate Student Union Demands Cornell Stop Momodou Taal’s Deportation Without Due Process

📈 Responsible Statecraft: Weapons stocks blast off as bombs drop, troops invade Lebanon

❌ Quincy Institute VP Trita Parsi to Mondoweiss, “Biden has been a disaster in the Middle East as a whole because instead of seeking to reduce the US’s military footprint there, expand the US diplomatic relations, and push the region to shoulder its own security, Biden has prioritized the delusion of an Israeli-Sadi normalization transforming the region. Once again, an American president has been swept by ideas of transforming the Middle East instead of prioritizing US interests.”

🥜 The Nation: Jimmy Carter, at 100, Is Best Honored by Listening to His Advice About the Middle East

📱 The Intercept: Facebook and Instagram Restrict the Use of the Red Triangle Emoji Over Hamas Association

🤔 Axios: Biden says he opposes potential Israeli strike against Iran nuclear program

🗳️ Newsweek: Lebanon War Deals Another Battleground Blow to Kamala Harris

💔 ABC Detroit: Dearborn Heights City Council member heartbroken after family killed in Lebanon strikes

Stay safe out there,