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Biden Needs to Stand By His Promises, Not Try to Appease Anti-Israel Voters
US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address at the US Capitol, March 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
President Biden finds himself in a political predicament: by providing military aid and diplomatic support for Israel, he has alienated many Arab voters in Michigan, a swing state that may be crucial for his re-election bid. On the other hand, his failure to veto last week’s UN Security Council Resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, and his increasingly harsh rhetoric about Israel’s defensive war in Gaza, has had the same effect on many Jewish voters.
Aside from his own personal views, Biden’s action at the UN and his attacks on Israel seem partly intended to mollify Arab voters and bring the progressive wing of his party back into the fold before a tough election. But it’s likely that Biden can’t win back these voters without instituting an arms embargo against our longstanding ally while it is at war, something he is loath to do.
In attempting to placate these voters, all Biden has succeeded in doing is to alienate another set of voters: American Jews who support Israel. While Jews certainly don’t vote solely based on what is best for Israel, many Jewish people were initially heartened by Biden’s strong response to the Hamas massacre on October 7, and the defensive war Israel launched in response. But now many Jewish voters are questioning Biden’s promise that he would stand by Israel until it was able to fully defeat Hamas.
Furthermore, the US abstention at the United Nations has had horrible consequences for Israel, the Palestinians, and all people who want to see peace in the region. Hostage negotiations were making progress with Hamas until that resolution, at which point Hamas abruptly reverted to its original position. The timing was no coincidence. Hamas felt emboldened by the UN resolution — and the US abstention — and decided time and the international community were on its side. Biden’s move was a grave misstep, and one that will have major real world consequences.
Although Arab Americans have a strong presence in swing states, so do Jews — like the many Jewish people that live in the suburbs surrounding Philadelphia.
Arab Americans who don’t vote for Biden don’t have a viable alternative, and it would hurt their interests to abandon him. They aren’t going to like Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban 2.0, or Trump’s racist language and even harsher criticism of the Palestinians. Biden’s political fortunes are much more secure if he doesn’t drive voters who care about Israel into the arms of Trump. Viewed through this lens, his decision to abstain from the UN vote was particularly shortsighted. Not only did it undermine the hostage negotiations, but it may have hurt his re-election campaign.
It also signaled to our allies and enemies that the US is an unreliable, fair-weather friend. It demonstrated weakness of will, and a lack of steadfastness that will reduce confidence in the commitments we make and the positions we take. That is bad for our standing in the world, and bad for Biden. One of the advantages that Biden touts against his opponent is the image of the steadfast elder statesman in contrast to Trump’s erratic buffoonery. But Biden’s flip-flopping on Israel has harmed that image he so carefully cultivated. It was as reckless politically as it was geopolitically.
In these precarious times, the US needs a steadfast leader. Someone who can be counted on to make difficult decisions and stick to them, even if a vocal minority in his party is alienated by them. We need a leader whose commitment to our allies is not subject to the vicissitudes of domestic politics. Unfortunately, we do not have that leadership at this crucial time.
Kenneth Blake is a former state prosecutor. He teaches Critical Thinking and Government in Petaluma, CA.
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Caitlin Jenner to Participate in Tel Aviv Pride Parade for 1st time
Caitlyn Jenner speaking at the 2018 Champions of Jewish Values International Awards Gala. Photo: Screenshot.
i24 News – Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympic champion and leading figure in the transgender community, will participate in the Tel Aviv Pride Parade for the first time, scheduled for June 13.
The Israeli Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Tourism, as well as the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality, will host her for three days during the city’s Pride events. The program for the media personality, who has over 15 million followers on social media, includes a press conference before the festivities. Jenner will also explore the country’s tourist attractions with a visit to Jerusalem.
This visit is part of a broader diplomatic strategy, including international journalists who will tour the country, meet with representatives of the gay community, and attend various events, hosted by the Tourism Ministry. Six delegations of LGBTQ+ influencers from around the world are expected this year by the Foreign Ministry. These groups, composed of representatives from civil society, the media, academia, and digital influencers, will visit community organizations in Jerusalem, Beersheba, Haifa, and Tel Aviv.
Authorities are presenting this initiative as a demonstration that “the Jewish state remains the only democracy in the Middle East where everyone is accepted, regardless of religion, race, or gender.” Tel Aviv is described as “a symbol of openness and acceptance of others.” The influence of Jenner, an award-winning cultural and television icon, transcends American political divides, reaching both liberal and conservative audiences.
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Body of Mohammed Sinwar Recovered from Gaza, Taken to Israel
A screengrab shows according to the Israeli Army, Hamas Gaza chief Mohammed Sinwar, taken from a handout video, released Dec/ 17, 2023. Photo: Israeli Army/Handout via REUTERS
i24 News – During excavations carried out recently in the area of the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, several bodies were found – i24NEWS learned on Sunday that one belonged to late Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, which is now being held in Israel.
On Saturday night, the Israel Defense Forces published documentation from the underground space located under the European Hospital in Khan Yunis. The tunnels include a command and control complex from which the fighting was conducted by senior Hamas commanders. During the scans, several additional bodies of terrorists were found.
About three weeks ago, Israel heavily shelled the hospital area, targeting the underground space below it, where the terrorist organization’s headquarters was located. In recent days, Israeli forces have been operating in the area, with an emphasis on underground tunnels, and have located the body. The IDF’s recovery of Sinwar’s body contradicts a previous report, according to which Hamas recovered his body from the tunnel under the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, and buried it in a tunnel in the Deir al-Balah area.
Sinwar was one of the senior and veteran figures in Hamas’ military wing, and took a significant part in the planning and execution of the murderous massacre on October 7, 2023, in which he served as head of the operations headquarters. After the assassination of military commander Mohammed Deif, Sinwar was appointed by his brother, late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, to the position. He was an influential and central factor in the organization’s decision-making, promoting Hamas’s effort to rehabilitate after IDF operations.
Now, Israel possesses the bodies of both Sinwar brothers, with much of the Hamas leadership eliminated in the more than 600 days since the war began.
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Hamas Militants Kill Gaza Civilians, Publicly Asserting Brutal Control
A drone view shows buildings lying in ruins, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, Jan. 19, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Al-Basos
i24 News – The Israeli army released footage from the Gaza Strip on Sunday showing a Palestinian brutally shot dead in public by what the military claims is a Hamas militant.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, General Ghassan Alian, released the footage via military channels. According to the official statement, the brutal execution took place last weekend in a Gaza City square, in front of witnesses. Israeli military authorities described the footage as “exceptional documentation” illustrating the Islamist movement’s methods against its own population.
General Alian addressed the residents of Gaza directly in a statement – “Hamas, terrorists, and criminals are killing you and do not care about your lives,” he said. “There is no difference between a dictator who kills in silence and a terrorist who massacres openly. Both are your enemies and the enemies of life.”
Alian described the act as “a desperate, further, and failed attempt to sow public fear in order to preserve Hamas’s rule, power, and governance, while cynically trampling on and exploiting the residents of Gaza for the survival of the Hamas terrorist regime and the preservation of its rule.”
Meanwhile, the IDF is intensifying its operations in key flashpoints in Gaza, particularly in Jabalia and Khan Yunis. Military forces continue to reach areas where they were not previously present.
The post Hamas Militants Kill Gaza Civilians, Publicly Asserting Brutal Control first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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