The Biden administration has sharply intensified its campaign of pressure and criticism against Israel in recent days. Is US policy regarding the war changing in fundamental and significant ways? Has Biden abandoned the pro-Israel policy that he originally articulated months ago?
In the first days following the October 7 pogrom, President Biden spoke out strongly in favor of Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas. In an interview with the CBS program “60 Minutes” on October 16, Biden was asked if he agreed with Israel that “Hamas must be eliminated entirely.” He replied: “Yes, I do.” The administration also began supplying Israel with significant quantities of weapons and munitions that it needed for the war.
During those early weeks, the only anti-Israel voices within the Democratic Party were fringe figures with long records of hostility towards Jews and Israel, such as Congressmembers Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
In early November, 18 congressional Democrats sponsored a resolution demanding that Israel cease firing at Hamas. But even many on the left refused to join in that call—including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who initially defended Israel’s right to destroy Hamas.
Generals Blame Israel
Over the ensuing weeks, several individual Biden administration officials made statements criticizing Israel. There is little doubt the statements were orchestrated by the White House. Given the sensitivity of the issues involved, it is inconceivable that senior officials would make statements that were at odds with the administration’s strategy.
On November 8, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Charles Q. Brown charged that Israel’s anti-terror actions in Gaza were turning the average person there into “someone who now wants to be the next member of Hamas.” Three weeks later, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin similarly claimed that Israel was “driving” Gazans “into the arms of the enemy.” Accusing Israel of causing Gazans to become terrorists was a way of pressuring Israel to soften its anti-terror actions.
The Brown-Austin theory that Israel causes Gazans to support terrorism is contradicted by the fact that the Gazans themselves voted the Hamas terrorists into power, in 2006, long before the current war. Their theory also conflicted with America’s historical experience: the Allies’ destruction of much of Germany in World War II did not cause German children to become terrorists.
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