T. Belman. I reposted this article because Austin re-emphasized Biden’s policies again.
President Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, once said “Never let a crisis go to waste”. The Biden Administration (Biden) is following this dictum by supporting Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas in order to advance the Two-State Solution. It matters not at all that neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis want such a solution.
Daniel Greenfield in There Are No Innocent Civilians in Gaza wrote:
Only 17% support a two-state solution while 77.7% want to destroy Israel and replace it with a ‘Palestinian’ state.
The Israel Democracy Instituted reported on Dec 5, 2023, that on the question “Should Israel agree or not agree to pursue the two-state solution in order to continue to receive American assistance? that:
52 % of Israelis said “no” compared to 35 % that said “yes”.
To my mind, a much higher percentage of Israelis would have said “no” had “in order to continue to receive American assistance” not been included in the question.
Nevertheless, the Biden administration is doing everything it can to advance the two-state solution on the back of the Gaza War.
As two veteran analysts wrote in The US, Israel, and the Ongoing War in Gaza:
Ensuring, therefore, that the United States continues to stand steadfastly by Israel means continuing to be attentive to American interests in terms of the humanitarian elements of the conflict – and perhaps especially those interests related to the preferred US solution for Gaza and its integration in a broader regional arrangement, as part of US efforts to advance a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The administration also misses no opportunity to bring up the principles that it believes must form the basis for rebuilding Gaza “the day after” the war. These principles, which were drafted at the start of the war in internal dialogue and in conversations with the United States’ regional and international allies, are: no forcible displacement, no reoccupation, no siege or blockade, no reduction in territory, and no use of Gaza as a platform for terrorism. Similarly, the United States stresses that it wants to see the Gaza Strip and the West Bank unified under the control of a “revitalized” Palestinian Authority.
Aside from this goal, the massacre of 1200 innocent Jews on Oct 7th was so horrific that Biden was compelled to stand with Israel in her stated desire to destroy Hamas. But the reaction of much of the Democratic Party and his Muslim base in key states forced him to walk back his initial response, at least in part.
Biden’s dilemma was that on the one hand he wanted to assuage his base and on the other hand, he was entering into another election and found it necessary to align with the pro-Israel crowd too.
He decided to have it both ways. He continued to support Israel’s right to defend herself and her desire to destroy Hamas. At the same time, he called for Israel to restrain herself. At first this call demanded that Israel abide by the rules of war. But this wasn’t enough of a restraint, so he began demanding humanitarian corridors and massive resupply of not only food and medical supplies but water and gasoline too. Of course, this aid was for the people but he knew full well that Hamas would commandeer such essentials, which it did. He also knew that the more he hobbled Israel with such demands, the more casualties Israel would suffer on the battlefront and so it did. But Jewish lives didn’t matter at least to him and his leftwing base.
In support of such demands, he had to conjure up the false notion of the “innocent civilians.” This notion justified his calls for humanitarian aid because, after all, the Gazans were “innocent”.
Daniel Greenfield debunked this notion in his article above noted:
“A recent poll of Arab Muslim residents of the West Bank and Gaza, known as ‘Palestinians’ circa 1967, conducted by the Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) asked them.
74% supported the Hamas atrocities of Oct 7. Of these 59% “extremely” support them and another 15% only “somewhat”. Only 7% were “extremely against” and 5% somewhat against.
That’s 74% in favor of murdering, raping and kidnapping Jews and only 12% against.
Only 7% were ‘extremely’ against murdering and abducting children.
Is this a moral or a tactical objection? Let’s look at the breakdown by region.
83% of those in the West Bank, ruled by the Palestinian Authority, said that they supported the Hamas atrocities. Only 7% were opposed. In Gaza, there was notably less enthusiasm at 63%. But after weeks of bombings and raids, only 20% seem to have decided it was a bad idea.
98% in Gaza and the West Bank said that they felt ‘pride’ as ‘Palestinians’ over the war.
This intense hatred was instilled by Palestinian propaganda promoted by the Palestinians Authority, Hamas. and Imams preaching in the mosques in Gaza and the “West Bank” and throughout the Arab world.
It was also abetted by the UNRWA schools in both Gaza and the “West Bank” in which two million “refugees” are taught to hate and kill Jews. These schools are financed by both the US and the EU, both of whom turn a blind eye to what is being taught. Be sure to watch this video. Askar : UNRWA: Cradle of Terror – review of a must see 7 minute film as evidence thereof.
Remember these “innocents” participated in the July 7th atrocities and celebrated the same throughout Gaza by distributing treats and dancing for joy.
As flimsy and false as this notion was, Biden knew it would be embraced by bleeding hearts and antisemites throughout the world and would support their calls for a ceasefire but that didn’t matter.
A second notion that Biden conjured up was the shibboleth of “settler violence”.
Yossi Dagan, Head of Samaria Regional Council, wrote in We refuse to accept this ‘blood selection’:
“What the government should be doing right now is releasing a clear, factual and unequivocal statement to media outlets worldwide debunking the myth of ‘settler violence,’ a blood libel fabricated by an extreme leftist fringe organization.
While 80% of the male residents of Judea and Samaria are on emergency military duty and their families are home alone, worrying about the safety of their fathers and sons, our heads of state should not be encouraging this libelous campaign that is slandering the residents of these communities,”
As Douglas Altabef recently wrote in The false moral equivalence of ‘settler violence’,
“Is there Jewish violence in Judea and Samaria? Yes. Most of it is in response to Palestinian violence against Jewish communities. But is there a culture of Jewish violence in these communities? No.
“Part of this effort to limit empathy for Israel and excuse Hamas atrocities has been to point to the straw man of “settler violence.”
To make this notion seem bigger than reality, US announces visa ban on ‘extremist settlers’.
It doesn’t take a genius to understand that Israeli citizens should be armed so that in the event of a surprise attach such as the one on October 7, the citizens could defend themselves. This applies equally to settlers living cheek by jowl with Palestinians in Judea and Samaria. They too are exposed to a potential mass attack by Palestinians terrorists.
To make matters worse Biden opposed arming the settlers for self-defense.
On Nov 6 1923, Haaretz reported regarding a proposed sale to Israel of assault weapons:
“Last week Haaretz reported that the Biden administration was leery of a scenario in which National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir hands out assault rifles to defense squads in settlements. U.S. officials said they feared the guns could be used against Palestinian civilians”
“U.S. officials, in both the Biden administration and Congress, directly pushed the Israeli government to insist $34-million worth of assault rifles would not end up with Israeli settlers and civilian militias in the West Bank.”
Biden understands that the advancment of the Two-State Solution, requires the destruction of Hamas and the rehabilitation of the Palestinian Authority. It is for this reason that the Palestinians must be described as “innocent civilians” and the sins of the Palestinians be ignored.
This week, PM Netanyahu set the record straight about the day after the war.
“First of all, we will win in the south and then we will also take care of the north. As a first step we will distance Hezbollah beyond the Litani River, and later we will also have to take care of the organization itself,”
“After the great sacrifice of our civilians and our soldiers, I will not allow the entry into Gaza of those who educate for terrorism, support terrorism and finance terrorism. Gaza will be neither Hamastan nor Fatahstan,”
“Only the State of Israel will be responsible for the demilitarization of the Strip. The Gulf countries will invest in reconstruction and we will have to build an entity that does not want to destroy us that will manage the civil administration there. We will allow anyone who wants to go out, to do so. Today, Hamas does not allow that.”
“Oslo was the mother of all sins. The difference between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority is only that Hamas wants to destroy us here and now, whereas the PA wants to do it in stages. “
Nevertheless, differences remain.
On Dec 14/23, the WSJ noted:
Netanyahu has rejected the U.S. plan, and is betting his political survival on opposing the Authority’s role in postwar Gaza and blocking the emergence of any Palestinian state.
In addition, U.S. Presses Israel to Begin Winding Down Gaza War according to the WSJ whereas Israel’s Défense Minister Yoav Gallant has said it will take months.
Finally, Minister Benny Gantz delivered the last word about what Israel plans to do.
Remove the threat of Hamas, strengthen the relationship with moderate Arab countries, and build a different regional reality that will also include a framework for a solution In Gaza. In the military aspect – at the end of the next phase when the mission in the south of the Gaza Strip is completed – we will establish full security control over the area, including a seizure of territory that will allow the continuation of the operational effort.”
“Israel will rule from a defense standpoint, preserve freedom of action, and exercise it in the entire territory. Khan Yunis and Shuja’iyya will be dealt with in the same manner as the casbah in Shechem (Nablus).”
***
“70 Percent of Palestinians support Hamas ( This is a video about you not Hamas)” – Travelingisrael.com Fantastic hasbara videos from Israel. Also on FB where I discovered him and his videos.
https://youtu.be/q65uD976hFA?si=yCMCKbArK35iptBm
I don’t trust the Israeli politicians’ blah-blah-blah for a split second.
They bravely make general statements which are calculated to please the electorate and to put everyone to sleep thinking that they are in good hands but in the end can be interpreted any which way.
As far as Israel doing what is good for Israel without caving in to the TSFS without ceding its territory, with actually destroying Hamas and Hizballah and stopping the rocket fire across all its borders into Israel, etc., etc., and finally allowing mass aliyah and expanding the Jewish settlement, I’ll believe it when I see it.
@Ted, you wrote
. Sorry I heard the speech and knew it was not the war cabinet speaking. Glad you understood that also but your words did not reflect that.
Good that is now clarified!
I considered that his opinion only. I can see you may have thought that he was speaking on behalf of the war cabinet but I didn’t say that.
@Ted here is what you said. Did I miss something?
@Bear. I didn’t say otherwise, nor did I imply it.
Ted, one correction to your article. Gantz was speaking for himself and not the war cabinet when he said what Israel would do. Bibi and Gallant had not agree to that never mind the whole cabinet.
Thanks Sebastien..
@Ted Fantastic article Ted. You sum it all up clearly and concisely. And, you substantiate everything. Anybody can just make assertions that convince nobody who doesn’t already agree. I posted it on my FB page and forwarded it by snail mail to some of my wavering liberal Jewish friends. Great job!
@Peloni do not think for a minute that I am sticking up for or like the Biden Administration. JNS and Jonathan Tobin, did a good job of analyzing what is going on. If you have not read the article I would recommend it. 4 postings down.
@Bear
I wish this was true, but for it to be true, we would necessarily have to ignore the very clear pattern which has been established by the current administration in Washington since they seized office.
They have taken terrorists off the terror listings, they have supplied direct US funding to terror enclaves such as the PA and Hamas, they have walked back sanctions on Iran and released massive amounts of ready cash to them despite their clear role in accelerating terror attacks which have culminated in the October 7 massacre. They have ignored the governmental murder of Iranian citizens while directly challenging Israel’s legitimate govt as being illegitimate. They helped fund a insurrectionist movement in Israel, and are now prohibiting the use of M16 in protection of the Jewish occupants of Judea and Samaria after having supplied the PA with armored vehicles. They have taken serious steps towards rolling back Trump’s recognition of both Jerusalem and the Golan Heights and have completely undermined the purpose of the Abraham Accords. They have been pursuing their policy of Integration which is nothing more than US realignment towards Iran and away from Israel.
Hence, with all of this in mind, it really doesn’t matter if they are just reacting to their political base, as they have been pursuing a campaign which ingratiates the US toward Iran and away from Israel since they took office. Yet you believe that they are just posturing while threatening Israel as they control the flow of arms and the US veto? Well, perhaps you are correct, but if you are, this would be quite a change in US policy, a welcome change to be sure.
@Ted, if Israel followed all the dumb things some American government officials have said about how to conduct the war we certainly have many hundred’s of deaths by now.
Israel always takes more care than any other military not too kill civilians including cancelling air strikes if we see civilians.
I am not so sure we have changed war tactics because of dumb advice from the Americans. Certainly not how we are fighting the tunnel network. If we had listened to them the casualties would be astronomical. Basically we know how to do this tunnel warfare more effectively and with less risk to Israeli soldiers than how American’s do this. Israel has studied this for years and it appears to be working well.
Meanwhile IDF deaths have escalated. This is the price we have to pay for Biden’s support. Its a lousy deal.
@Ted the attached article does well define what is going on with Biden and the Dems towards Israel and puts it in persepective.
Full Article at https://www.jns.org/can-bidens-cognitive-dissonance-let-israel-win-the-war/
I just added an addendum to the aticle which included fantastic photos.
@Bear
I worry that his supply of weapons and his veto may be short lived.
Biden is appeasing his base with these calls for two states and also his leftist EU allies.
Israelis in mass realize two states is a formula for war and not peace from less secure borders for Israel. Allowing the Palestinians freedom to build a military or terrorist bases within or near Israel is clearly dangerous to the lives of Israelis.
Biden doe not care that Israelis want no part of it. He is simply concerned with domestic cover while he supplies Israel weapons and provides cover for it in the UN Security Council.
Thank you for this article, which helped me think about this issue more clearly.
I think this is the two state solution’s last gasp. Who in the middle east wants it? Most Israelis don’t want it. Most if not all Palestinians don’t want it. The Sunni Middle Eastern states don’t want it. So what is the purpose of perseverating on an idea that appears irrelevant?
One possibility is that it is a way to try to re-divide Israelis who have been brought together as a result of October 7th.
Obama specialized in dividing Jews (but he doesn’t limit himself to dividing Jews, he has divided all of America into victim identity groups all fighting each other for top place as the most victimized). He created J Street to do just that. He wanted to peel away progressive Jews from AIPAC and support of Israel, and he largely succeeded.
Prior to October 7th, Israel was likewise divided between secular progressives and conservatives. One way to heighten that divide and bring it back is to bring up the largely irrelevant two state solution.
It surprised me recently to find there are Israelis who feel so much [supposed] empathy for the lives of the Palestinians that they blame Netanyahu more than they blame Palestinians for Palestinian violence.
These are likely the same people that caused the massive intelligence failure of October 7th. And these are the people that are now campaigning against Netanyahu implying that he unnecessarily creates friction with the US government, as if they can do a better job on national security and have a great relationship with the US government.
In addition what else does beating the dead horse of the TSS accomplish? It signals once again to all the Sunni Middle Eastern states that the US government is more on the side of Iran and Iran’s agents than it is on their side and on Israel’s side.
It would be comical if it weren’t tragic. Because signaling weakness in the face of Iran, which threatens the safety of the entire Middle East, is extremely dangerous to all the countries of the Middle East.
As Biden is whipping Israel to “step’n’fetchit” in terms of daily berating Israel to not cause civilian casualties and on “settler violence,” Iran is racing to acquire a nuclear weapon.
The TSS is this administration’s Trojan Horse: inside it are the Iranians hearing every word of Biden’s betrayal of Israel.
How about enforcing a new “tax” on muslims in all land controlled by Israel analog to the taxes imposed on “infidels” in Muslim lands, to help pay the cost of keeping them under control. This may improve the chances of their leaving willingly.
The United Nations in action: https://freebeacon.com/national-security/senators-move-to-cut-us-taxpayer-funding-for-anti-semitic-hamas-tied-un-agency/
While military control of Gaza is important, financial control is the key to success. Who spend the money incoming money will determine the quality and vector of the future of Gaza. Military cotrol will be sporadic, monetary control will continue from moment to moment.