A report published by the French “Le Figaro” explained that the massive military and diplomatic support provided by US President Joe Biden to Israel places him in an increasingly sensitive position locally and internationally, which may affect his political future.
Writer Adrian Golems continued that as the Israeli war on Gaza enters its fourth month, and with the death toll rising to a staggering number, the political cost of this unconditional support continues for Biden.
On the diplomatic level – the author continues – the United States has become increasingly isolated, knowing that the dangers of the conflict expanding to include all parts of the region remain. Internally, Biden is facing criticism within his party as he enters a difficult election campaign to win a second term.
According to the Le Figaro report, Joe Biden and his administration are facing increasing difficulty in concealing their frustration with the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu, especially since the United States is closely linked to the consequences of the war, and realizes that it has few means of influencing the course of the war or its end.
No heed
Note that the repeated calls made by President Biden and his Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, to the Israeli authorities to take American concerns into account had no effect.
The writer added that Biden’s relations with Netanyahu are going through a period of coolness, and Blinken has directed direct criticism at the Israeli government, and he had previously assured the Israelis – following the October 7 attacks – that the United States “supports Israel today, tomorrow and always.”
According to the report, these warnings were no more effective than previous American requests to Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even revealed to everyone that he “told the United States that he opposes the principle of establishing a Palestinian state in any post-war scenario,” and added: “The prime minister must be able to say no, even to our friends.”
Popular opposition
Le Figaro quoted Joel Benin, professor of Middle Eastern history at Stanford University, as saying: “This is not the first time that major tensions have arisen between the United States and Israel… Despite this, Israel has done what it wants, and this is what is happening now.”
He continued: Therefore, it is not surprising that the Netanyahu government resists all American directives and advice to do things in a different way. He said that what is new is the strong opposition of the American people to Israeli policy, which is gaining momentum for the first time in Washington, and it is an important movement among young people and even in American Jewish circles.
The writer stressed that these tensions go beyond the demonstrations of pro-Palestinian activists, and have reached within the Democratic Party, as a group of senators submitted a resolution this week demanding that American aid to Israel now be accompanied by conditions.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said: “Whether we like it or not, the United States is complicit in the nightmare that millions of Palestinians are experiencing today.” As Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts asserted: “Given the way Netanyahu and his government have fought this war, we have serious questions to ask before we move forward in our support.”
The writer stated that the criticism that Biden faced for his support of the Israeli war in Gaza constitutes an increasingly worrying obstacle to his re-election.
Benin believes that it is very likely that President Biden will lose the state of Michigan next November due to the conflict in Gaza.
On the other hand, analysts close to the Democrats have now publicly expressed doubts about Netanyahu’s willingness to take into account the sensitive situation in which Biden finds himself.
According to Benin, “It is clear that his strategy is to wait until the end of Biden’s term and hope that Trump is elected. Biden does not have a strategy.”
