When trying to step foot on two boats at the same time, the outcome remains consistent: the fear of drowning amidst uncertainty. President Biden now bears a worrisome countenance regarding Gaza. He speaks with dual messages. On one hand, he issues threats to Israel; on the other, he dispatches billions of dollars worth of weaponry. He verbally asserts that an attack on Rafah would constitute a ‘red line’ breach. Yet, when Rafah is bombed by US airstrikes, his representatives contend that Biden’s established boundary hasn’t been transgressed.
On October 7th, after the terrorist attack by Hamas, Biden stirred controversy by declaring himself a ‘Zionist’ upon arriving in Israel. Despite his popularity skyrocketing in Israel, Muslim and Arab voters in his own country remained disillusioned with him. In the 2020 election, they were his ‘safe voting bank’.
Due to his pro-Israel stance on the Gaza issue, those Arab-Muslim voters are speaking differently. To handle the situation somewhat discreetly, without informing the media, he apologized to Muslim leaders at the White House. However, that didn’t calm the tension. During that meeting, Muslim leaders expressed their dissatisfaction. Allegations have been made against him that, on one hand, you’re expressing concern over civilian casualties in Gaza, yet you’re also sending weapons for reinforcement. You even dismiss the casualties reported by Gaza’s health department as false. At this meeting, Palestinian-American human rights activist Rami Nashashibi was present.
Seated opposite Biden, he remarked, “Mr. President, when you raise questions about the number of casualties, how does it seem to us? What kind of cruelty and mockery does it appear to us?” This happened last November. Since then, in several other incidents, Biden has criticized Israel on one hand while sending them weapons for reinforcement on the other. He has admitted that among the weapons being used by Israel in Gaza, there are bombs sent by the United States. It is these bombs that are causing the deaths of innocent civilians. Mentioning this in an interview with CNN, Biden said that if Israel does not cease its actions, the United States will temporarily halt weapon shipments.
In reality, this alleged ‘pause’ or temporary cessation was only permanent for four days. On May 9th, news of the halt in weapon shipments did not even get old, and on May 15th, the Biden administration informed Congress that they are sending Israel an additional one billion dollars worth of weapons. National security adviser Jack Sullivan told US will send the entire shipment of previously approved weapons. There will be no disagreement about their commitment to ensuring Israel’s security.
Washington Arab Centre director Youssef Munayyer has made similar remarks. According to him trying to please all sides has led to questions about the Biden administration’s credibility. He continued, In reality, Biden says one thing and then something different. With elections looming, Biden’s domestic and foreign policies have collided head-on.
The latest example of Biden criticizing Israel while providing it with shelter under his own umbrella is even more striking. In an interview, he said, There is no doubt Netanyahu is waging war to preserve his own political existence. In his words, Netanyahu “prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation”. Later on Tuesday, Biden appeared to tone down his criticism of Netanyahu. Asked whether Netanyahu was “playing politics with the war”, Biden said: “I don’t think so. He’s trying to work out a serious problem he has.”
Let me give another example. President Biden has often stated publicly that he wouldn’t send weapons. However, his administration has announced a new deal to send an additional squadron of F-35 fighter jets to Israel. A former State Department official, Josh Pol, has resigned in protest of American policy in Gaza. He commented that the Biden administration should have announced such a deal at this very moment, making it clear that they are not serious about ending the war in Gaza.
Shibley Telhami of Brookings has exposed how damaging Biden’s two-faced stance is. According to him, Biden is playing a dangerous game. What he is doing will not only protect Israel’s long-term interests but will also not fulfil the legitimate demands of the Palestinians.
Now it is clear that Biden only talks about democracy and international law just to show people. In reality, he never upholds them. Jordan’s King Abdullah has made a sarcastic comment, stating that Biden prefers to apply international law at his convenience. Hamas’s attacks violate international law, but when Israel violates the same law three times as much, he remains silent. Why is the value of Palestinian life less than Israeli life?
In fact, the Biden administration’s selectivity in enforcing international law is best exemplified by its recent reaction to the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Israeli Prime Minister and Defence Minister. Immediately upon the announcement, the Biden administration denounced it as unwarranted, biased, and illegal. There is no genocide or ethnic cleansing in Gaza, what the ICC is doing is wrong, Biden himself said so. A year ago (March 13, 2023), when ICC issued arrest warrants for war crimes against Russian President Putin in Ukraine, President Biden responded with applause, saying it was well done. He stated that there is no doubt in his mind that what is happening in Ukraine amounts to genocide.
The American Congress, however, surpasses Biden by more than double. In a proposal adopted by nearly unanimous consent from members of both the Republican and Democratic parties, the American Congress not only denounced the ICC’s decision to issue arrest warrants but also threatened further sanctions against ICC prosecutor Karim Khan and his family members.
Significantly, the United States, despite advocating for international law, has refrained from expressing its own support for the ICC. The reason being, if the United States continues to operate various unlawful activities worldwide without acknowledging the legitimacy of the ICC’s laws, warrants against them could be issued sooner or later without any opposition.
The repercussions of Biden’s contradictory policies on the Israel issue have led to a loss of trust in Biden or the American administration by most people around the world. No one seems to be respect him. Last week, Biden proposed a ceasefire in Gaza during a summit and announced a three-phase plan. The proposal was made with the intention of facilitating dialogue between Hamas and Israel. Hamas almost immediately welcomed the proposal, However, Prime Minister Netanyahu disregarded the opinion of his cabinet and insisted that the question of a ceasefire does not arise until Hamas is completely destroyed. Israel, despite being historically aligned with the United States, is also challenging the words of the American President! Indeed, if the United States desires, pressuring Netanyahu is not a difficult task.
Renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs believes that if Biden truly desires, halting Israeli aggression in Gaza is possible in one day. However, he won’t do it due to his personal allegiance to Israel and the pressure from the Jewish lobby in the United States.
Biden’s adherence to this one-sided policy on the Gaza issue might save Israel, but there are extensive doubts about whether he will be able to manage his own throne due to resistance from Arab, Muslim, and young voters in the November elections.