President Joe Biden, that noted military genius who oversaw our withdrawal from Afghanistan – which left the taliban in control of the country and in possession of about $85 billion (that’s right, BILLION) dollars of U.S. state of the art military equipment – is again applying his strategic talents; this time, to Israel.
From Alexander Ward and Sam Stein’s article at politico.com:
Israel’s handling of Hamas war ‘a mistake,’ Biden says
President Joe Biden called Israel’s conduct of the war a “mistake” and urged the quick adoption of a six-to-eight week cease-fire with Hamas. The comments, in an interview with Univision that aired Tuesday, underscored the increasingly chilly nature of the relationship between the president and his counterpart, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They come in the wake of the killing of seven aid workers by the Israeli Defense Forces — including an American — and as the United States has strongly signaled it will begin using its leverage to push for Israel to alter its approach to the war.
“I think what he’s doing is a mistake,” Biden said of Netanyahu. “I don’t agree with his approach.”
“So what I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a cease-fire, allow for the next six, eight weeks total access to all food and medicine going into the country,” Biden added. “I’ve spoken with everyone from the Saudis to the Jordanians to the Egyptians. They’re prepared to move in. They’re prepared to move this food in. And I think there’s no excuse to not provide for the medical and the food needs of those people. It should be done now.”
A senior White House official said the president reiterated the administration’s long-standing policy, that a cease-fire would only come in conjunction with a hostage deal. The Middle Eastern nations stand by to plus up their aid contributions once there’s temporary fighting pause, the official added.
Fascinating.
And what, you might ask, has Joe Biden asked of hamas – the rulers of Gaza who started this war by massacring 1,200-1,400 Israelis, taking something like 250 hostages (who knows how many, if any, are even alive by now or what condition they are in), and publicly stating their intent to do it “again and again” in the future?
Has he demanded, or even politely asked, hamas to surrender – which would end the war immediately? No.
Has he demanded, or even politely asked, hamas to return all hostages (including American hostages)? No.
Has he asked anything of hamas, other than a vague comment about a “hostage deal” with no specifics, and no demands on hamas? No.
Joe Biden (actually, the hard-leftists puppeteering him) has no demands of anyone but Israel.
The funny (ironic, not comical) part of this? If Biden thinks that anything short of complete capitulation to hamas, thus complete betrayal of Israel – the one and only Democracy in the Middle East and our strongest ally there – is going to appease the hardline Islamists in Michigan, or Minnesota or Wisconsin, he is even less cognitively capable than I thought; which is not easy to do.
And the unfunny – very unfunny part? Given Joe Biden’s half-century history of tailoring his positions to whatever he thinks will get him the most votes, with every other consideration – including what is right and what is wrong – far back in the distance, it is an excellent bet he will continue to go after Israel, not the hamas murderers who started this.
Why? Because a) those midwestern states are in play, while b) most Jews live in states that are not in play (New York, New Jersey, Illinois and California are solid blue, Florida seems irretrievably red). So screw ’em; their votes don’t count as much.
If you care about Israel at all, it seems to me that should mean something to you.
