President Biden, the architect of the disastrous US Afghanistan withdrawal, wants to tell Israel how to defeat Hamas. For some time now, the Biden administration has been demonstrably vexed because the Israel Defense Force (IDF) is killing Hamas terrorists and destroying its combat capability – as is typically the goal in a war to defeat a savage enemy. The White House, taking counsel from the United Nations and believing the casualty figures provided by Palestine and Hamas, both highly untrustworthy sources, wants Israel to tone down the fighting. You know, do the killing and destroying in a kinder, gentler, more civilized manner.
Before Correcting Israel, Biden Might Look Closer to Home
What we have is an administration in want of resolve and real commitment, unable to bring itself to deal effectively with Iran-backed proxies like Yemeni Houthi terrorists attacking commercial shipping in the Bab al-Mandab straits or wreaking havoc against US forces in Iraq and Syria. Still they’re enthusiastic in giving pointers to Israel on warfighting. "A ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels slammed into a cargo ship Friday in the Red Sea near the strategic Bab (al-Mandab) Strait, following another attack only hours earlier that struck a separate vessel, authorities said," according to the Associated Press.
With US warships in the vicinity choosing not to retaliate against the Iran-supplied terrorist rebels, the Iranian proxy’s unacceptable behavior again went unpunished. Additionally, "Some of US President Joe Biden's aides are concerned that while Israel may craft an effective plan to inflict lasting damage to Hamas, it has yet to formulate an exit strategy, a source in Washington familiar with the matter said," Reuters reported in October.
What we have are Biden's White House aides worrying about Israel's exit strategy for Gaza, when for two years Biden's crackerjack national security team has been incapable of telling the American taxpayer what the US strategy is in its "as long as it takes" involvement in Ukraine. Yet National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan thought it necessary to carry personally to Israel Biden's message to lower the intensity of combat in Gaza. Axios reported:
“Israel's war in Gaza needs to ‘transition to the next lower intensity phase in a matter of weeks, not months,’ White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the war cabinet in a meeting on Thursday, according to two U.S. and Israeli officials.”
Whatever reaction Sullivan expected from his "lower intensity" comment, what he got was an unequivocal explanation of what the Israelis anticipate in the Gaza conflict. "Israel's defense minister said on Thursday (December 14) that the war against Hamas' will last more than several months,' signaling determination to carry on with the bombardment," The New York Times explained.
Biden Is More Political Than Principled in Criticism of Israel
President Biden, in many of his public statements, has been critical of the tactics the IDF uses in its war to destroy Hamas terrorists and other Palestinian militias in Gaza. In one speech, the US president commented on the "indiscriminate bombing" by the Israelis destroying Hamas strongholds. It is why Jake Sullivan was telling Israel to "end its large-scale ground campaign in the Gaza Strip and transition to a more targeted phase in its war against Hamas, American officials said," the NYT reported. However, to the contrary, as Liberty Nation recounted:
"Biden's careless and inaccurate use of the phrase "indiscriminate bombing" raises images of World War II German carpet bombing of London and US B-52s dropping hundreds of tons of high-explosive ordinance on North Vietnamese and Viet Cong jungle encampments. That is not what is happening in Gaza. The IDF uses accurate, precision-guided munitions against Hamas terrorist strongholds."
Biden claims his comments were to warn of a loss of international support for Israel in its campaign to eliminate Hamas from ever being a threat again. More than likely, the real motivation for the US chief executive going wobbly on standing tall with Israel is toadying up to the Hamas sympathizers and Palestinian protesters in the US. Biden went from presenting a solid bulwark of support for Israel to shelving principles and bowing to political pressure from critics. The current White House has not shown itself particularly adept at decision-making in moments of crisis. Letting Israel fight and defeat Hamas its way would be a good start.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliation.
