Recent events in the Middle East highlight two important points. The Biden administration's “negotiate at all costs” strategy has completely failed, as has the Democratic Party's attempt to tie Israel's hands and force it into a war of self-defense. return.
As a result of this failure, political, military, and strategic leadership in the region is shifting from the United States to Israel. Simply put, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown in words and actions that only Israel can pursue policies that have the potential to bring peace.
That's why President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other Democrats must recognize that supporting Israel practically and politically is essential.
Of course, this should have been obvious from the beginning. In war, the divide between good and evil is rarely more evident than in Israel's fight against multiple genocidal terrorist groups.
The Biden administration has been making two main claims for much of the past year, neither of which are correct on their merits. The first is that any negotiation is possible, whether with Hamas, Hezbollah, or Iran. Second, Israel alone is responsible for “de-escalation.” This latter is I spoke to you recently According to Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Iran attacked Israel on the same day with 200 ballistic missiles.
Clearly, Biden's approach clearly failed. dramatically emphasized by acknowledgments There will be no ceasefire during Biden's term.
Similarly, Biden's aversion to “escalation” directly undermined the U.S.-led coalition's offensive against Iran's Houthi proxies in Yemen, effectively keeping the Red Sea closed for more than a year. I made it.
Israel, on the other hand, has shown that only through military force can it advance its claims, and those of democracy around the world. The United States must support this effort.
Unlike Biden and Pelosi, Israel knows that Iran is not interested in negotiations. The prospect of détente also will not put pressure on the Iranian government to govern as a proxy for Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and groups in Syria and Iraq.
Case in point: In early September, when Israel was negotiating a ceasefire in good faith, Hamas6 hostages executedAmong them were cold-blooded Americans.
To be sure, Biden's emphasis on diplomacy above all else does not incentivize Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah to negotiate.
They consistently see the regime's support for Israel wax and wane, and most importantly, they themselves are not interested in peace.
Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah should be treated as the terrorists they have presented themselves to be, rather than as the honest negotiating partners that Mr. Biden and Mr. Harris would want.
Similarly, Biden's response to Iran's recent missile attacks highlights the dangers of his “negotiate at all costs” strategy.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan immediately after the Iran attack blackmailed“Significant consequences” for Tehran. And just days later, Biden weakened that threat and publicly opposed Israel's attack on Iran. nuclearsite, and againstIran's energy infrastructure.
moreover,According toThe administration told Israeli media that it would provide additional military aid to Israel on the condition that Israel, which had just carried out the largest ballistic missile attack in its history, did not attack “certain targets” inside Iran. It's teasing a promise.
It is shameful to seek to constrain Israel's response to a common enemy for domestic political reasons. And just as Biden has called for diplomacy and restraint, this effort is likely to fail.
Israel recognizes the role of military force in protecting its people and is not willing to sacrifice its power on the altar of diplomacy, as Biden and Harris hope.
This pattern was repeated throughout the war. Biden and Harris initially supported Israel and threatened their enemies, but eventually backtracked and urgently pushed for diplomacy as the only solution.
To Mr. Biden's credit, he provided significant defense assistance to Israel and U.S. involvement in defending against Iranian barrage in April and October. But Biden has protracted the war by restricting Israel's freedom of action and proposing a surge or even withholding weapons.
Furthermore, the support Eli Lake Description Because an “American hug” that comes with “handcuffs” always turns into lukewarm verbal support, followed by a condescending “but.”
Last March, for example, Harris advocated Israel's right to self-defense but openly opposed Israeli forces operating in Rafah, Hamas' last bastion of power. I say that's probably a mistake”
As we now know, the Israeli operation in Rafah was extremely necessary and carried out with far fewer casualties than the Biden-Harris administration had predicted.
To that end, with less than a month until the presidential election, it is politically necessary for the Democratic Party to fully support Israel.
Former President Donald Trump leads Vice President Harris by 9 points (47% to 38%) when asked who Americans trust more to handle foreign policy. CNN poll. Furthermore, Iran's growing role raises serious and serious questions about the current and past Democratic administrations' policy toward Iran.
Successive Democratic administrations, starting with former President Obama and current President Biden, have taken approaches to the Middle East that have focused on placating Iran while weakening allies. In 2009, Obama signed a nuclear deal that gave Iran much more. 50 billion dollars With sanctions relief. Iran has used the funds to expand its proxies into a “ring of fire” that points guns at Israeli and American soldiers in the region, from Lebanon through Syria and Iraq to Yemen.
After President Trump reimposed sanctions during his term; Biden immediately repealed them.enriching Iran and contributing to the situation where Iran is weeks away from nuclear weapons.
It's fair to ask how Ms. Harris would be different, and why anyone should believe she would be.
Israel is no longer waiting for Biden and Harris to realize that they must change course. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the United Nations as Israeli jets head to clear Nasrallah. declared“Israel has been tolerating this intolerable situation for almost a year now. Well, I’m here today to say enough is enough!
Simply put, Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly proven that diplomatic means cannot achieve peace, rescue the hostages from Gaza, or return them to their homelands in northern Israel, so Israel needs He said he would use force in response.
The history of the Middle East is clear. Contrary to what Mr. Biden and Mr. Harris have said, the only way to achieve peace, bring home the Israeli hostages, and end the war is through force and military pressure.
Israel is currently applying this pressure to Iran and its proxies. While we waited for retaliation to Iran's missile attacks, the Israel Defense Forces largely crippled Hezbollah, virtually destroyed Hamas as a military threat, and in just two attacks defeated Yemen's Houthis. The U.S.-led coalition inflicted more damage than the U.S.-led coalition had done in more than a year.
After all, Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have convinced Biden, Harris, and the world that sacrosanctizing diplomacy at the expense of military pressure will only make achieving peace even more difficult. It's clear.
As the standard-bearer of democracy, the United States must abandon single-minded diplomacy and fully support Israel in using overwhelming military force to achieve its goals of driving back Iran and defeating Hezbollah and Hamas. Must be.
Douglas E. Schon is a political consultant and founder and partner of Shane Cooperman Research. He served as an advisor to President Clinton and Michael Bloomberg's 2020 presidential campaign. His new book is “The End of Democracy? Russia and China are rising, and America is retreating. ” Saul Mangel is a senior strategist at Shane Cooperman Research.
