Netanyahu must listen closely to Biden, for a change
Whether people liked what President Joe Biden said or not, few could deny that his State of the Union speech was as forceful and unmistakably clear as anything Congress has heard in a long time. But one person either didn’t get the message meant for him or is not taking it seriously.
That’s Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel, who welcomes our weapons but not our advice.
He chose to reply instead to something Biden said two days later.
Amplifying a warning he had expressed to Congress, Biden said Netanyahu’s war policy in Gaza is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel.”
Nobody paying attention to what’s happening there, and how it’s being received around the world, could reasonably disagree.
Netanyahu, however, mischaracterized the president’s remarks. He told Politico he didn’t know “what the president meant” (really?) “But if he meant by that that I’m pursuing private policies against the majority, the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he’s wrong on both counts.”
Wrong on both counts
No, it’s Netanyahu who’s wrong on both counts. Biden didn’t accuse Netanyahu of flouting Israeli public opinion; the problem is that he’s manipulating it, and it’s hurting Israel.
To Congress, Biden laid the primary blame on Hamas for the ongoing tragedy in Gaza, where he said more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, “most of whom are not Hamas.”
He challenged Hamas to “end this conflict today by releasing the hostages, laying down arms, and surrendering those responsible for October 7th.” He acknowledged also Israel’s “added burden” because Hamas “hides and operates” among civilians.
“But Israel also has a fundamental responsibility,” Biden added, “to protect innocent civilians in Gaza,” and he called on Israel to allow more aid into the stricken enclave. “Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip.”
Then, in words that Netanyahu least wants to hear and most needs to, Biden declared that for the future “the only real solution is a two-state solution.”
Netanyahu makes no secret of his implacable opposition to a Palestinian state. The president is right; Israel will never know peace otherwise. But Netanyahu isn’t listening — no matter what.
It would behoove him to consider more carefully what Biden said in a weekend interview concerning his warning that an attack on Rafah, where there are more than 1.3 million refugees, would be “a red line.”
“I’m never going to leave Israel,” Biden added. “The defense of Israel is still critical, so there’s no red line (in which) I’m going to cut off all weapons so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them.”
Note the qualifier: “all weapons.” Carefully parsed, Biden was promising only to continue defensive weapons such as the anti-missile system he mentioned, which protect Israel from Hamas’ indiscriminate rocketry. Whether he meant to or not — and we think he did — the president put Netanyahu on notice not to count on an indefinite supply of the offensive U.S. weaponry killing so many people in Gaza.
An absolute paradox
It’s absolutely paradoxical to supply Israel with offensive armament even while it resists our pleas for restraint.
Since its founding, Israel has received nearly $300 billion in U.S. aid (adjusted for inflation), more than any other country. It is required to spend most of it on U.S. equipment and services, which makes our domestic arms industry a factor in the politics of it.
That entitles the American people, Congress and the White House to say how Israel ought to use it.
The paradox is greater because of what the U.S. is spending and will spend to get food, medicine and humanitarian aid to Gaza.
In the Muslim world, the holy month of Ramadan began Monday. Those who are observant fast from before dawn to after dark every day. They can be exempted for good reasons, such as the hardships of war.
As the New York Times reports, however, “others say that with famine threatening, most are eating only one meal a day in any case, and that fasting will be no different from the hunger they have endured for months.” Some eat nothing but leaves and animal food.
Americans have been exceptionally and rightly supportive of Israel since its founding in 1948. But it’s appropriate to remember, in a political context, the adage that friends don’t let friends drive drunk.
Israel has never had a better friend than Joe Biden. It should take to heart what he told Congress.
“Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority.
“As we look to the future, the only real solution is a two-state solution …
“There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and democracy.
“There is no other path that guarantees peace between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia.
“Creating stability in the Middle East also means containing the threat posed by Iran.”
The policy he stated is not new. But it has never been as urgent as now for Israel’s leadership to give it the respect it deserves.
The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writer Martin Dyckman and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Editorials are the opinion of the Board and written by one of its members or a designee. To contact us, email at letters@sunsentinel.com.