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The United States criticized Israel’s handling of the war. Israel ignored this criticism. This looks like a humiliation for the Biden administration. What’s occurring?
This is a pattern we have seen before. We saw this in the war that Israel fought against Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006. The United States tried to persuade Israel to fight the war more humanely. So while the dispute is nothing recent, it will not be only humiliating, but in addition shows the boundaries of influence.
Indeed, there has often been a case of the tail wagging the dog in U.S.-Israeli relations. Israel was good at playing American politics. So it’s difficult to put as much pressure on Israel as objective facts would suggest the United States should have the option to exert. After all, Israel is unquestionably there largest recipient of US foreign aid. And the United States has stood firmly behind Israel for a really very long time. In that sense, it’s kind of humiliating that every one this apparent influence goes unheard.
Is Israel, as you say, “very good at this” since it lives in a difficult neighborhood, or is it due to pressure that domestic politics puts on Biden? What gives them the strength to do that?
This is definitely a difficult area in some parts – Israelis definitely see themselves like living in a really difficult neighborhood. So the everyday pattern is that the United States says “go easier.” Israel says, “give us a few more days.” It was like that in 2006 and it’s true this time too – Israel is asking for a bit of more time to achieve its military goal. But if its ability to ignore U.S. demands is primarily a results of living in a difficult neighborhood, Israel does indeed have a number of influence in the United States. Majorities of each parties in Congress support Israel, although opposition to that support is growing on college campuses and elsewhere. In a recent Pew poll4 times as many Democrats as Republicans in the US believed that Israel had gone too far in its military operation.
Biden recently said that Israel is “losing support” over the war and “massive bombing of the Gaza Strip” Netanyahu said the Palestinian Authority will never rule Gazadespite U.S. support for the thought. What does this more open division tell us?
This tells us that the situation between the 2 countries is definitely getting worse. This, after all, reflects frustration on the a part of Biden and the administration. I believe that is an indicator of how isolated Israel is now in world public opinion and it is clear taking the US with it. So it is a big source of frustration for the administration. It really is time for an additional ceasefire and perhaps the discharge of a few of the hostages again. But this will not be expected soon.
What options does Biden have at this point? It appears like you are saying there’s not much Biden can do. And in fact it looks like in Israel Netanyahu – whose government may fall after a slowdown or war ends – is using Biden’s disapproval to strengthen his political position along with his right-wing supporters.
Surely, Netanyahu plays on the best wing it makes the Biden administration even tougher. Netanyahu’s problem is more his right flank than Washington’s. This makes it harder for the United States to exert the influence it should. And we still don’t understand what Israel’s endgame is. It appears that on their current path, they will eventually occupy Gaza. They definitely don’t need to do this. My guess is that behind the scenes the Israelis are serious about some option involving the Palestinian Authority, regardless that Israel says it wants no a part of it.
Biden went to a fundraiser someday and told attendees that Netanyahu is the leader of “the most conservative government in Israel’s history,” which “does not want a two-state solution” to the Palestinian conflict. “I think he needs to change, and the current government in Israel is making it very difficult for him to move,” Biden said. When the president makes such a press release during a gathering, it will not remain a secret. What extraordinary words from a head of state about one other government.
In a way, this amounts to calling for regime change in Israel. We all assume that when the war is over, Netanyahu will leave. But after all, if he thinks about remaining in the federal government, he must take into consideration one other coalition. World opinion will force him to think seriously in regards to the Palestinians, if not a couple of two-state solution. Whatever else happened, Hamas has definitely succeeded in achieving its goal of re-igniting the Palestinian desire for statehood on the international stage. And Netanyahu will have to cope with this in some unspecified time in the future.
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What elements does Biden need to consider as he manages this example going forward?
It starts with overall strong American support for Israel, which cuts across each side. But the thing he has to cope with is growing concern amongst progressives, especially young people in the Democratic Partythat the Palestinians are suffering far an excessive amount of and that something have to be done. And now I believe there is nearly global agreement that this war must end. That’s the challenge the administration faces: to try to follow the worldwide consensus while allowing Israel to do what it thinks it should do in Gaza.
And this is actually an inconceivable circle for Biden to square. President Lyndon Johnson used to say that sometimes being president is like being a mule in a hail storm. “There is nothing left to do but stand there and take it,” he said.