In his State of the Union Address, Biden expressed his sorrow at the death and destruction in Gaza. Israel’s refusal to allow food supplies into Gaza has brought a quarter of the population to the brink of famine. Infectious diseases are spreading, humans are eating animal feed and living in makeshift tents during the dead of winter. Medical supplies are limited; doctors are performing surgeries without anaesthesia, guided by the light of their smartphones.
Before the speech, partly in response to the surprisingly large number of Democrats who did not vote for him in the primaries on Super Tuesday, Biden authorised the air dropping of food into Gaza. This gesture was entirely symbolic since the amount of food dropped by one cargo plane equals 10% of the food in a truck. The 2.3 million people living in Gaza need 6 million meals a day, which requires 1,000 trucks to be let into Gaza daily. Reaching a new height in chicanery, Israel is claiming that there is no shortage of food in Gaza and only allowing 100 trucks to enter Gaza daily.
After Biden had finished his speech and was making his way toward the door, a senator from Colorado approached him and urged him to keep pushing Netanyahu. Biden said that he had bluntly told Netanyahu that “you and I are going to have a come to Jesus moment.” The off-the-record was caught on the hot mike and tweeted.
Later, in an interview, Biden said Netanyahu’s policies are “contrary to what Israel stands for, and I think it’s a big mistake. So I want to see a ceasefire.”
Despite Biden’s admonitions, Netanyahu is not buckling. When asked to comment on Biden’s recent statement that he is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel,” Netanyahu hit back hard, saying Biden was “wrong on both counts.” He went on to say that most Israelis agree with him when he says that there should be no Palestinian state. He also said the attack on Rafah –which Biden has said was a redline that should not be crossed until Israel comes up with a plan to protect the one million plus people who are temporarily located there – would take place, Ramadan or no Ramadan. In a brazen tone dripping with defiance, he said the only redline for him was that the October 7 attack does not take place again.
Biden cautioned Netanyahu not to send troops into Gaza, but Netanyahu did the very opposite, claiming he was fighting a war of self-defence to eliminate Hamas
Fareed Zakaria is skeptical that Netanyahu is going to bend: “In trusting the Israeli government, Biden is trusting Netanyahu, an exceptionally clever politician who knows how to handle American presidents expertly and has done so for decades. This time, Bibi has outsmarted, outmaneuvered and outplayed Biden.”
Soon after October 7, Biden travelled to Tel Aviv to tell Netanyahu not to overreact as the US did after 9/11. He was the first US president to visit Israel during wartime. Biden cautioned Netanyahu not to send troops into Gaza, but Netanyahu did the very opposite, claiming he was fighting a war of self-defence to eliminate Hamas. Before sending in the troops, he turned off food, water and energy supplies to the entire population of Gaza, whom his defence minister had called human animals.
Then began a ruthless bombing campaign that did not spare hospitals, schools, apartment buildings and mosques. More than 100,000 Palestinians have been injured or killed, 70% of whom are women and children. More than half the buildings have been destroyed.
The US Defense Secretary warned that Israel may achieve a tactical victory but end up with a strategic defeat. Indeed, Aluf Benn, the editor-in-chief of Haaretz, has written a trenchant critique of Netanyahu’s “mowing the grass” strategy for dealing with Palestinians. He calls it a path of self-destruction and warns, “Israelis cannot expect stability if they continue to ignore the Palestinians and reject their aspirations, their story, and even their presence. This is the lesson the country should have learned from Dayan’s age-old warning. Israel must reach out to Palestinians and to each other if they want a livable and respectful coexistence.”
Ehud Barak, a former prime minister, sums up his assessment of the current situation, “Netanyahu is focused on his political survival, and he will never step down willingly. The time has come for the people of Israel to stand up and bring about a change of course.” Whether they will happen remains to be seen.
“History is watching” was a refrain that echoed throughout Biden’s speech, which was sprinkled with quotes from former American presidents. While criticising what Russia, on Putin’s orders, is doing in Ukraine, Biden cited Reagan, who in 1987 said: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down the wall.”
President Biden would do well to also recall an important piece of US history. When Israel under Prime Minister Menachem Begin was unleashing death and destruction in Lebanon in 1982. Reagan called Begin and expressed his outrage over Israel’s latest bombing raids in west Beirut. He said the attacks had resulted in “needless destruction and bloodshed.” He ordered an immediate ceasefire, and Begin complied.
When a Republican president could make such a humanitarian call, why can’t a Democratic president?
It’s not that difficult. Biden should call Netanyahu and tell him to stop Israel’s march toward Rafah. If he doesn’t, the US will stop all arms shipments to Gaza. The next day, the onslaught will stop. Why?
Because, as a retired Israeli general stated in November, all Israeli missiles, bombs, tank shells and aeroplanes are from the US: “The minute they turn off the tap, you can’t keep fighting. You have no capability. … Everyone understands that we can’t fight this war without the United States. Period.”
Mehdi Hasan notes that Biden knows this very well. In May 2021, when Israel was bombing Gaza for 11 straight days, Biden called Netanyahu and told him to stop. “We need to accomplish more,” pleaded Netanyahu. “Hey, man, we are out of runway here. It’s over.” Two days later, a ceasefire was announced.