There is a real sea change in popular views of Israel, especially among Democrats and left-leaning Americans. But it’s not yet being seen in Washington, DC.
Tom Friedman created minor shockwaves when he wrote the Biden administration is “reassessing” the U.S.-Israeli relationship, but actual U.S. policy remains committed to Israel and the “shared fiction” that the occupation is temporary .
Israel’s “right to defend itself” is invoked constantly by its supporters, but international law says Israel cannot simultaneously occupy Palestinian land and attack it as a “foreign” threat, or treat those resisting as enemy combatants.
Morocco canceled a key normalization gathering following an Israeli announcement to expand settlements. It was the latest setback for the Abraham Accords despite U.S. efforts.
Mahmoud Abbas’s recent trip to China indicates the Palestinian Authority has finally acknowledged the U.S. will never deliver. But, his defense of Uyghur oppression to win the favor of the Chinese government may have cost Palestinians more than he realizes.
Amichai Chikli’s crude insults against American Jews personify Israel’s hubris in biting the American hand that feeds it. The White House is reportedly unhappy but continues to turn the other cheek. This won’t last forever.
A new report from the European Legal Support Center shows how the IHRA working definition of antisemitism is used to suppress Palestinian rights activism and silence criticism of Israel.
Antony Blinken resurrected the two-state zombie in his address to AIPAC on the 56th anniversary of the 1967 War. But the number of true believers in Washington who buy these fantasies is dwindling.
Far from undoing the damage done by Trump’s violation of the Iran Nuclear Deal, Biden is making a bad situation worse by continuing to support a hardline and belligerent Israeli government without knowing its strategy towards Iran.
Saudi normalization with Israel could be used to press for Palestinian rights, but the Biden Administration will likely squander it for short-term political gain that further entrenches Israeli apartheid and endangers the region.