The Biden administration has pressed forward with the military aspects of the Abraham Accords’ vision, letting it be known at the end of 2022 that Israel, as part of its new position in CENTCOM, had been elevated to “full military partner” in terms of strategizing and planning with the United States.

The move sets a dangerous precedent, which if it results in an official alliance, runs the risk of an American commitment to Israel’s defense that could easily drag the U.S. into more fighting in the Middle East, even if that’s not Washington’s intention. And it would mean that commitment happens without any kind of public debate. 

Itamar Ben Gvir’s raid of the Al Aqsa compound has strained the Abraham Accords and made it harder for Arab states to justify continued normalization with Israel.

These increasingly provocative actions by Israel don’t merely raise serious concerns for the UAE and other Abraham Accords participants; it also raises worries anew in Egypt and, especially, Jordan. Both countries have maintained long term peace accords with Israel, against the wishes of the vast majority of their citizens.

The new Israeli government is so radical that even moderate Israelis are saying that Zionism is racism. That’s what scares American Jewish leaders and why they will rely even more on the lie that Anti-Zionism is antisemitism. This must not be allowed to succeed.

The Biden administration is giving Israel’s new radical right government the thumbs up. “Bibi Netanyahu is in charge of this government, okay? He’s made it very clear that his hands are on the wheel, and we’ll work with him. And most importantly, Joe Biden has a strong working relationship with Bibi Netanyahu,” says US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides.

The kind of power that supports the Palestinians manifests slowly, but not gradually. It takes a long time to get to a tipping point, and before it does, nothing really changes. Apartheid goes on, settlers continue to rampage, Congress continues to flood Israel with money and the Palestinians with condescending criticism, Gaza continues to be a giant open-air prison. 

But fortunately for the Palestinians, the U.S. is not the key to Palestinian liberation. The Palestinian people are.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken made it clear the Biden administration is no friend to even J Street’s moderate politics on Israel, let alone the broader struggle for Palestinian rights. 

The effort to maintain the illusion that the Abraham Accords are anything other than a military and trade agreement between an apartheid state and brutal dictatorships is facing serious obstacles. Nowhere has this been more evident than in Qatar, during the World Cup. 

We are beginning to see how Israel’s next far-rightwing government will make things difficult for the White House through the de facto annexation of the West Bank. And the early indications from Joe Biden’s administration indicate a continuation of the weak responses that have characterized his policy toward Israel for decades.

In a surprising but welcome development, the United States’ Department of Justice has initiated an investigation into Israel’s killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Almost immediately, Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz declared that Israel would refuse to assist with the investigation.

Although it is unlikely the U.S. investigation will lead to meaningful accountability, Israel’s refusal to cooperate should raise questions about the US/Israeli relationship.

Control of Congress remains up in the air following the 2022 U.S. Midterm elections but the outcome still has some interesting implications for Palestine advocacy.