Time for Biden to get tough on Netanyahu
What is it about American Democratic presidents and red lines? Back in 2013, it was Barack Obama who found that his red line on Syria’s use of chemical weapons was actually more pink than red.
Today, his then-vice president, Joe Biden, has forgotten the red line that he drew in March over an Israeli invasion of Rafah. Other international leaders also voiced their opposition but have gone mute when confronted with the reality.
That ground invasion is now in full swing. The propaganda merchants had portrayed last week’s initial forays as a limited operation. Aid agencies on the ground and Palestinian civilians hoped but never believed that was true.
US officials from the president down had talked the talk about opposing a Rafah invasion. Even last week, one spokesman stated that “any kind of major Rafah ground operation would actually strengthen” Hamas. This opposition was all half-hearted.
Palestinians and others can spot the hypocrisy of the US and other backers of Israel. They watch US actions, not words, just as they have learned to do with Israeli leaders. Yes, the US has just paused the transfer of some arms to Israel, including 3,500 bombs. The reality is that the US is still providing weapons, military assistance, vital intelligence and diplomatic cover. The trifling levels of US humanitarian assistance to Palestinians pale into insignificance compared to the billions Israel receives in lethal aid.
Remember too that the US led the Israel-inspired charge to defund UNRWA. If the Biden administration had said it would wait for Israel to provide evidence of any links between the UN agency and Hamas, it would still be receiving American aid today and no other donor state would have ever suspended their funding.
Where Israel is concerned, accountability just does not come into the equation. What happened two years ago illustrates this with excruciating clarity. This was the Israeli killing, arguably murder, of the Al Jazeera journalist and US citizen Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11, 2022.
The US demanded answers. Israel spun all sorts of stories, initially blaming a Palestinian gunman and then saying it did not know, before finally admitting it was an Israeli soldier’s bullet. As yet, nobody has been held accountable. What is Biden doing about it? Nothing. This was the leader who, in February, warned Iran: “If you harm an American, we will respond.” If Israeli soldiers can kill US citizens with impunity, what chance do Palestinians have?
Leaders often express “concern” or even “deep concern” about Israel’s conduct. They will call on Israel to adhere to international humanitarian law. But what never happens is an American, British or German leader stating unequivocally that Israel has violated international law.
This has certainly been the case over the last seven months. The US administration last week stated that Israel had used American weapons in a way that was “inconsistent” with international humanitarian law. To a normal person, this means illegal, but heaven forbid this should be articulated.
British leaders have done cartwheels to avoid stating this. The deputy foreign minister said last week that the government had not seen a credible Israeli military plan for its invasion of Rafah that would adhere to international law. On May 7, the day after the ground invasion began, the minister stated: “We have not seen a credible plan for military action in Rafah so far, so we are not able to judge whether it would be in accordance with international humanitarian law.” In other words, because Britain has not been shown the military plan, it will not make any judgment on whether it is illegal or not. Israeli leaders were wise not to share it.
Congress has a brigade of supporters not just of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but also of extremists like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.