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Biden’s Israel Legacy: Bitter Feelings, Shattered Trust

Posted on Wednesday, October 16, 2024
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by Andrew Shirley
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17 Comments
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In the story of Joe Biden’s foreign policy legacy, his alienation of Israel ranks among the most disastrous consequences of his presidency. The next occupant of the White House will face a crucial challenge in restoring America’s relationship with its most important Middle East ally.

Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone last week for the first time in more than two months in a conversation that the New York Times described as “carrying the weight of the worst relationship between the United States and Israel in years.” That may be an understatement, as the Biden-Harris administration has waffled in its support for Israel as it faces growing hostility on all sides – including a recent missile barrage from Iran.

A significant part of the tension appears to stem from Biden’s disdain for Netanyahu, a conservative who returned to power in 2022. According to an excerpt from famed journalist Bob Woodward’s upcoming book, “War,” Biden called the Israeli PM a “f***ing liar” and a “son of a b****” for invading Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip, against Biden’s wishes.

Biden reportedly said to Netanyahu, “You know the perception of Israel around the world increasingly is that you’re a rogue state, a rogue actor.” Shortly after the operation was launched, the Israeli Defense Forces recovered the bodies of six hostages who were killed in Rafah.

But the roots of the frayed U.S.-Israeli relationship go beyond just Biden’s antagonism toward Netanyahu.

Following the October 7 attacks on Israel last year, the Biden-Harris administration offered what many saw as a lackluster response that has now devolved into open opposition to Israel’s military operations against Hamas and its backers in Lebanon and Iran. Despite Hamas killing nearly 1,200 innocent civilians – including 46 American citizens – and taking hundreds of captives, Biden urged “restraint” in Israel’s response.

From there things continued to go downhill, hitting another low point in May when the Biden-Harris administration temporarily halted ammunition shipments to Israel. (It’s worth noting that unilaterally holding up congressionally approved weapons to go to an ally is precisely what Democrats falsely accused and impeached former president Donald Trump over in 2019.) Since then, Biden and his top national security aides, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have openly pushed for a “ceasefire” – effectively signaling to Hamas and its allies that their efforts to undermine U.S. support for Israel are beginning to bear fruit.

Much of the Biden-Harris administration’s hesitance to fully back Israel is likely due to domestic political considerations, specifically blowback from anti-Israel activists in the Democrat Party base and key groups of voters in swing states. In Michigan, which has a large Muslim population, more than 100,000 Democrats cast their votes for “uncommitted” in the state’s Democrat primary earlier this year as a protest against Biden. In a state that went for Biden by about 150,000 votes in 2020, such a revolt could also prove disastrous for Harris now that she has taken over as the Democrat nominee.

Meanwhile, some elected Democrats also began openly pressuring Biden to end its support for the Israeli war effort. The White House’s decision to halt ammunition sales notably came following a letter from 88 House Democrats urging Biden to stop providing offensive weaponry. The Republican-controlled House later passed a bill requiring Biden to resume weapons shipments – only to have the Democrat-controlled Senate kill the bill and Biden threaten to veto it.

Biden’s decision to capitulate to a loud minority of anti-Israel voices in his own party has only further alienated Jerusalem, which is now effectively keeping the United States – once a key intelligence partner – in the dark about its military operations.

As The Wall Street Journal reported last week, U.S. officials have been “frustrated that they have been repeatedly caught off guard by Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon.” Israeli officials notably failed to inform the Biden-Harris administration ahead of its recent strike against Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, leading to Defense Secretary Llyod Austin angrily asking if Israel was prepared to be “alone” in defending itself.

Biden’s strained relationship with Israel is just the most recent and alarming example of the president alienating longstanding U.S. allies. A botched submarine deal with Australia earlier in his presidency led to France – America’s oldest ally – recalling its ambassador. Other U.S. allies in Europe were similarly upset over the chaotic nature of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan which led to widespread chaos in the region.

While Biden is on his way out as president, he may yet deal more damage to U.S.-Israeli relations before he departs the White House. Hostilities are still ramping up in the Middle East, and Israel is reportedly considering major strikes in Iran, including on Iranian nuclear facilities. Whatever Israel decides to do, it seems that Biden is likely to be left out of the loop once again.

The tattered U.S.-Israel relationship is just one of many instances where Biden will leave the world a more dangerous and uncertain place. After promising to be a great diplomat and peacemaker, Biden has proven to be neither. It will be up to the next president to clean up his mess.

Andrew Shirley is a veteran speechwriter and AMAC Newsline columnist. His commentary can be found on X at @AA_Shirley.

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Stuart L. Meyer
Stuart L. Meyer
21 days ago

Biden has always been a fool; now he’s a senile fool. Of course, Israel can’t trust him and will not take him into its confidence. Can Israel go it alone without America’s material support ( strategic advice has long been best ignored ). At the moment, the burden of protecting Western Civilization is being borne by Israel and not by the Biden administration. Disaster will impend if Harris wins in November but the likelihood of that appears to be diminishing day-by-day. The question is whether the days run out before the Democrats’ credibiity does.

michael
michael
21 days ago

if the USA wants God’s blessing then it will have to support Israel. not my words but God’s. to change the current policy towards Israel will require a change in the presidential party’s affiliation. so vote for trump who has said he would support Israel. do it.

Max
Max
21 days ago

Bottom Line: THOSE WHO BLESS ISRAEL (GOD’S PEOPLE) WILL BE BLESS, THOSE WHO CURSE ISRAEL WILL BE CURSED. There have been several foreign politicians in the past year, who have cursed ISRAEL and have fallen dead. BEWARE OF WHAT YOU SAY OF THE LORD’s PEOPLE.

Robert Zuccaro
Robert Zuccaro
21 days ago

The truth is they are afraid of angering the antisemitic wing of the radical Democrat Party.

Commentary
Commentary
21 days ago

Biden and Harris’s disgusting treatment and attitude towards Israel and Netanyahu stem from Barrack Hussein Obama, a closet antisemite who promised he’d “always side with the Muslims…” Obama hated Netanyahu because Bibi didn’t cave to his sleazy “charm” and dictates. Obama brought big voting blocks of Muslims into our country and stuck them in places where they could win as a voting bloc: Minnesota (Omar) and Michigan (Tlaib) among others. Obama went to the church of a loud-mouth black hater and bought into all the crap he spewed. He also befriended Farrakhan which was quickly covered up when he ran for president. Obama grew up with a heavy Communist influence and a Globalist bent so that he continually apologized to his Globalists for OUR country while he bowed to Arab potentates. He is a despicable man who was a failed president running a corrupt and scandal-ridden admin for 8 years, enough time to seed all govt agencies with Deep State sycophants to help him with his “fundamental change” read: take down of the country. It is no surprise that he taught Biden how to “handle” Israel and what to think of Netanyahu and then Harris who is a malleable puppet questing for power via the Peter Principle; she is the epitome of a person rising to levels of her incompetence, getting jobs because of her relationships such as they were, not her merit, ability or skills.

Theresa Coughlin
Theresa Coughlin
21 days ago

Biden cannot have it both ways. Either he supports Israel’s right to defend itself or he doesn’t. he may claim he supports Israel’s right to defend itself but his actions say otherwise.

Stephen Russell
Stephen Russell
21 days ago

Been wrong since illegally stole election & swearing in

Hunter bydone
Hunter bydone
21 days ago

The only fools bigger than Uncle Joey, are those that would cast a vote for kamala

Jeri
Jeri
21 days ago

I pray that Bibi knows and understands that Biden has dementia and those who represent him are idiots. I believe Trump can repair the mess.

FedUp
FedUp
21 days ago

We can thank Obama for ushering in the Democrats continued and ever increasing hatred of Jews and Israel.

Gigi
Gigi
21 days ago

Biden has disgraced himself in many many ways but nothing like his on again off again relationship with Israel. “Bless Israel and I will bless you, Curse Israel and I will curse you.” God said.
America has always blessed Israel until both Obama and Obiden betrayed them and America. Israel and America will not survive another democrat party administration.

Gregory McCarthy
Gregory McCarthy
20 days ago

Why do American Jews vote Democrat, and specifically, plan to vote for Harris? Especially, why do they dislike Trump, the President whom Israel named one of its train stations after when Trump moved the American Embassy to Jerusalem, something no other President would do? Do they not care about Israel? If American Jews continue on this path, and the Democrats take control over our Government, Israel will suffer immeasurably, and God will inflict his wrath upon America for its abandonment of his chosen people.

Mitchell Nash
Mitchell Nash
21 days ago

Amazing! Joe has been on the wrong side of every single foreign policy issue of the
last fifty years.

Jean
Jean
21 days ago

The US funds school integration here and Israeli segregation

John Shipway
John Shipway
21 days ago

Whoever ends up leading this country we must continue to support our proxy baby killer also known as Israel.
By golly, either killing or being complicit in the murder of helpless women and especially children is the American Way. I stood with pride last night seeing the results of IDF strikes on the last standing hospital in GAZA. One video clip showing a teenager in his hospital bed hooked up to tubes burning alive and thrashing about while screaming……..well, my chest swelled with pride!!!
God bless America!!

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