The current violent eruptions against Israel are a major consequence of US President Joe Biden’s foreign policy. Intentionally or not, the actions of the Biden administration have empowered the recent lethal operations.
Casting aside former President Donald Trump’s support for Israel has been the central tenet of the Biden Middle East policy, a favorable attitude toward the Jewish state has been replaced by a determination to encourage and bankroll the Palestinians.
The message that the Biden administration was putting distance between itself and Israel was heard loud and clear by the Palestinian Authority. Newly emboldened, the Palestinians looked at US actions and concluded that they are free to promote violence against Jews and use their media propaganda to blame Israel, and that the Biden administration will continue to fund them and even endorse their anti-Israel narrative.
The consequences of Biden foreign policy can be seen in today’s violent calamity. They have enabled – and continue to enable -- those responsible for violence and attacks on the Jewish state.
In an astonishing act of unfriendliness and ignorance, the Biden administration announced -- in the midst of rockets flying at Israel and Arab citizens rioting in its cities – that it will allocate additional funding for Fatah, the movement led by PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Rewarding current Palestinian behavior, the administration is literally compensating them for the present ugly violence… and throwing gasoline on the flames.
This is not so surprising when you remember that Biden’s State Department has repeatedly equated Israel with Fatah by giving them international standing and credibility.
From the beginning, Biden’s foreign policy set the stage for the current hostility and bloodshed.
Ignoring Israel’s objections, the Biden administration lifted sanctions on International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, who is intent on investigating Israel for alleged war crimes. The progressive left-wing mainstream in America – Biden’s allies – began assaulting Israel as an “apartheid state.” Apartheid is a loaded word and an incendiary charge. Biden’s State Department publicly and rudely told Israel to butt out of negotiations to renew the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran which Israel sees as threatening. And Biden has placed long-time anti-Israel, anti-Zionist personalities in top positions throughout his administration.
These developments did not go unnoticed by Israel’s enemies who watched with interest the direction US policy was headed and said to themselves, “We can exploit this.”
Early in his term, Biden made public his intention to restore some $235 million in aid to the Palestinians. The PA did nothing to deserve this largess, not a thing. It didn’t renounce violence or ties to terrorists or even improve its governance, but Biden still lifted the sanctions and made sure the dollars began to flow.
Elated, the PA perfectly read the Biden message, and asked itself: “How can we capitalize on this US weakness?” Confident the US was impotent, the PA, repeating the “apartheid” charge endlessly, went on the offensive, ramping up international PR attacks on Israel.
In the US, Biden’s progressive allies fell right in line and reinforced the Palestinian assault. J Street, Peace Now, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders, the mainstream media from the New York Times to CNN, and 25 Democrats in Congress, all began parading calls for the US to discontinue funding for Israel and promoting the legitimacy of Fatah’s claims.
The Biden administration has an angry animus toward the Jewish state – that is the message read without subtlety in Ramallah and Gaza City. Biden himself seems disdainful of Israel and has been highhanded in dealings with the current Israeli government. The interpretation was self-evident and overt… the US doesn’t give a damn about Israel and “We have a free hand to raise hell.”
It didn’t take long for Fatah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to begin threatening Israel. The PA, using Ramadan and religion as a lever, called for a “holy war.” Palestinian-controlled media began inflaming hysterical emotions and pushing nationalistic buttons. In Ramallah and Gaza City, they cheered as rioting broke out in Jerusalem. One senior Hamas official, Fathi Hammad, videotaped a call for Palestinians to buy a sharp knife to “cut off the heads of the Jews.”
All of this intersected and with a murderous result; Fatah ramped up their angry calls for “intifada,” or uprising. Not to be outdone, Hamas and Islamic Jihad delivered a hail of rockets on Israeli cities.
Since the Democrats took control of the White House and both houses of Congress four months ago, the Middle East has become a powder keg. And here we are.