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The extremity of Israel’s war on
Gaza has become so unbearable that there are at last cracks in its
political support. And the massive effort that Joe Biden has undertaken
to back Israel no matter what it does is raising questions even in
mainstream politics.
There is, to begin with, the crisis over Netanyahu’s declaration that there must never be a Palestinian state. This totally contradicts U.S. policy—
lip service to a Palestinian state. And it thereby incurred rebukes by
Biden’s official spokesmen: the only way to get peace in the region is a
two-state solution.
“Democrats ‘appalled’ by Netanyahu’s bashing of two-state solution,” Politico reported. “Growing number of Senate Democrats question Biden’s Israel strategy” – the Washington Post. Five Democratic senators said they would join 13 who had endorsed a measure to condition supplemental aid to Israel– more than a third of the Democratic caucus.
Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen said Israel is thumbing its nose at
the president (hardly the first time) so it’s time to stop the quiet
diplomacy and take Netanyahu on. “It’s pretty clear that Netanyahu is
listening much more to the extremists in his government than the
president of the United States and the Biden administration,” Van Hollen
said.
Van Hollen adopts the cover story precious to Democratic leaders and
liberal Zionists, It’s all Netanyahu’s fault. We can get to the two
state solution, if we get “regime change” in Israel and in Gaza, Bradley
Burston told Americans for Peace Now this week.
That’s a delusion. The truth is that no Israeli government ever intended to allow the creation of a Palestinian state, as Jonathan Ofir explained at our site.
Lest there was any doubt about this, Isaac Herzog, the supposedly
liberal president of Israel, said at Davos that this is not time for a
Palestinian state. The world needs to get back to normalizing Israel
with Arab monarchies, he said. “In Israel,” he said, “nobody in his
right mind is willing now to think about what will be the solution of
the peace agreements.”
Former peace processor Aaron David Miller gave a similar comment to
BBC. This Palestinian state talk needs to wait till Biden’s second term —
and a change in government in Israel. The lobby group Democratic
Majority for Israel provided the same script. Netanyahu’s statement
about two states is “morally wrong,” but war is no time to be playing
“domestic politics” with Israel support. I.e., the Israel lobby won’t hear of anything but backing Netanyahu right now.
So Israel’s war for apartheid must be the cause of the world. Joe
Biden is on board. His statement on 100 days of the Gaza war was titled
– “Statement from President Joe Biden Marking 100 Days of Captivity for Hostages in Gaza“.
Biden continues to speak entirely from the Israeli perspective, ignoring the ethnic cleansing of Gaza that has killed over 25,000 people,
the overwhelming majority of whom are civilians. Biden wants to keep
the Israel lobby on his side for his reelection campaign. He doesn’t
care about the Democratic base.
How long will American leaders remain trapped by Israeli traumas? How
long will they continue to indulge the delusions of an apartheid state
that apartheid can go on without resistance? When as anyone can see,
Israel’s war crimes are seeding violent resistance.
Like the destruction of al-Isra University in Gaza, which Israeli forces had used as a base of operations till
they demolished the school three days ago. At the State Department, the
Associated Press reporter expressed outrage over the action:
“It looks like a controlled demolition. It looks like what we do here
in this country, when we’re taking down an old hotel or a stadium. And
you have nothing to say? You have nothing to say about this?And it’s not
troubling to you?” Matt Lee said.
“You keep saying that you want Israel not to destroy the
infrastructure. Yet we have seen almost a total destruction of all
infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, roads, cemeteries…. Tell
us in any way that the Government of Israel is really paying heed to
what you tell them, in any way, by any measure. They’re not listening to
you.”
Israel has reportedly destroyed 95 schools and universities in its
righteous obliteration of Gaza. And finally– reporters are grilling
Biden’s spokespeople.
“The edifice of hypocrisy is falling away bit by bit,” as Khaled Elgindy put it.
Thanks for reading,
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