Is Bibi Netanyahu making decisions regarding Israel's response to Iran's recent missile attacks in an effort to interfere in the US presidential election? That seems to be Joe Biden's read on the situation, at least based on comments he made this week in the White House press briefing room. Biden clearly appeared to be implying that Netanyahu is less interested in negotiating any sort of peace deal because of the pressure he's under to deliver a strong message to Iran. A peace deal would potentially undermine that message, possibly opening the door to additional aggression by Iran. Why Biden would weigh in on this discussion in such a fashion remains a mystery for now, but Netanyahu appears to be continuing full steam ahead with his plans to cripple his enemies before they can do more damage to Israeli interests in the region.
From the Associated Press:
President Joe Biden had terse words for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, and said he didn’t know whether the Israeli leader was holding up a Mideast peace deal in order to influence the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.“No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None. None. None. And I think Bibi should remember that,” he said, referring to the Israeli leader by his nickname. “And whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know, but I’m not counting on that.”Biden, in a rare appearance in the White House press briefing room, was responding to comments made by one of his allies, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who told CNN this week that he was concerned Netanyahu had little interest in a peace deal in part because of U.S. politic
It's probably first worth noting that Joe Biden (of all people) claiming to have helped Israel more than any other US administration is laughable on its face. It's far more likely that Biden has done less to stand beside Israel than any other administration in our lifetimes. And he's taken this approach for arguably among the worst reasons imaginable. Both he and Kamala Harris have been chasing the votes of a relative handful of pro-Hamas voters here in the United States because they may prove significant in the election.
To be clear, this doesn't mean that Bibi Netanyahu isn't keeping an eye on the American elections. Every world leader has a vested interest in how the election turns out because that result will shape the outcome of our foreign relations stance with both our allies and adversaries around the globe. Bibi Netanyahu is no exception to that rule. He has had multiple meetings with both Biden and Donald Trump. Between the two of them, Trump has consistently expressed the most full-throated support for Israel in general and the Netanyahu administration in particular. Obviously, he is taking these matters into account.
But are such considerations actually coloring his decision-making process as Israel continues its response to the recent attacks? Suggesting as much is a bit insulting to Netanyahu, to say the least. Priority number one for Netanyahu is to degrade the military capabilities of Israel's enemies, decapitate their leadership, and pave the path toward greater security for the state of Israel going forward. If there was some sort of peace deal on the table that would work out to be a net positive for Israel, that's the path that Bibi would be following. If anyone is opposed to a peace deal, it's the Mullahs in Iran who want to focus the world's attention on the "atrocities" committed by the IDF and spur the United Nations to take further actions against the Jewish state.
Biden has gotten himself out well over his skis at this point, but why would he care? He simply needs to survive the glide path taking him out of office next year and then he can dump all of these problems in the next President's lap and get on with his endless vacations by the oceanfront. Unfortunately, that leaves the rest of us to pick up the pieces, a task that is looking increasingly daunting by the day.
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