Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated his feud with President Biden over the war in Gaza. Netanyahu has accused Biden of holding back arms transfers to Israel, in a highly public dispute. Analysts say Netanyahu's actions are meant to pressure and potentially embarrass the White House ahead of the U.S. elections.
The clash began when Netanyahu released a video claiming he had spoken to Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to Israel. Netanyahu said it was "inconceivable" that the U.S. was holding back arms. However, this accusation was quickly denied by Blinken and other officials in the Biden administration, who criticized Netanyahu for sparking conflict.
Despite the administration's response, Netanyahu has only doubled down on his claims. There is speculation that Netanyahu prefers to see a return of former President Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential candidate, who is set to debate Biden on Thursday.
According to Laura Blumenfeld, a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins University, Netanyahu is likely trying to "box Biden in and embarrass him during the national presidential campaign." Blumenfeld suggests Netanyahu may be anticipating a Trump presidency and is working with Republicans in Congress to undermine Biden.
Former Israeli leader Ehud Olmert harshly criticized Netanyahu's public criticism of the U.S., calling it an "irresponsible provocation" that risked damaging the complex relationship between the two countries. Olmert said Netanyahu's "displays of braggadocio and arrogance on television, in which he berates the president of the United States and his actions, are a master performance of irresponsibility, losing one's cool and contempt for Israel's most basic needs, and a calculated attempt to sabotage Biden's reelection campaign."
The article notes that Trump had a close relationship with Netanyahu during his presidency, with the U.S. moving its embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing the city as Israel's capital. Trump's administration also brokered the Abraham Accords, which saw several Arab nations normalize ties with Israel.
In the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced criticism from the United States for his handling of the situation. The U.S. has called on Netanyahu to articulate a clear path to end the war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, following an October 7th attack in southern Israel that killed over 1,100 people. Hamas also took around 250 hostages, with 120 still being held in Gaza.
This week, Netanyahu pledged that a lower-intensity conflict would continue in Gaza once the main fighting in Rafah comes to an end, and he wants Israel to retain indefinite security control over the coastal strip. However, the U.S. has stated that a permanent Israeli presence in Gaza is unacceptable, and has suggested that the Palestinian Authority should oversee the area after the war.
Tensions between the U.S. and Israel reached a previous high point in March, when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for new elections in Israel, in one of the most vocal challenges to Netanyahu from a high-ranking U.S. official. Over time, President Biden has also increasingly criticized Netanyahu, including in a June interview where he said there was "every reason" to conclude that the Israeli leader was continuing the war in Gaza for his own political survival.
Representative Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), who recently returned from a bipartisan delegation to Israel, stated that it was unclear why Netanyahu has chosen to publicly spar with Biden, though he noted that progress has been made in recent months and weeks on the issues.
While the U.S. is holding up the transfer of some 3,500 high-payload bombs to Israel over concerns about their use in densely populated areas of Gaza, U.S. officials have stated that no other weapons deliveries have been deliberately paused. However, Netanyahu has pushed back, saying he is "willing to suffer personal attacks" if the weapons transfers go through. He has also claimed that there has been a slowdown in weapons deliveries since Biden began expressing concerns about an operation in Rafah, which at the time hosted over a million sheltering Palestinians.
The State Department has rejected Netanyahu's accusations, reaffirming that U.S. support for Israel remains "ironclad" and that nothing has changed in this regard.
"I don't understand the meaning of that comment at all, just as I didn't understand the similar comments we discussed last week," Miller said, reiterating that they have only paused the heavy bombs.
"Clearly, they were making intense requests at the beginning of the conflict, and we were fulfilling those requests. They continue to make requests, and we continue to fulfill them," he added.
The delay in weapons transfers may be due to bureaucratic issues rather than a specific policy decision, according to analysts.
After the surprise attack on October 7, the U.S. accelerated arms transfers to Israel to quickly defend the nation. But now, months later, those weapons may have reverted to the regular process instead of an expedited order.
The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, stated at a conference in Israel that weapon shipments are ongoing, though "perhaps not at the extraordinary pace of October 8, which was not sustainable in the long run."
"We're at a different point now in the war and the process, but our support for Israel remains unchanged," Lew added.
While the U.S. may not be deliberately slowing down the transfers, the bureaucratic delays may serve to prevent a potential war with Hezbollah, as Washington seeks to de-escalate the wider Lebanon conflict, according to Yaari of The Washington Institute.
The Biden-Netanyahu rift also coincides with domestic turmoil in Israel, as protesters demand a ceasefire deal and the return of the remaining hostages in Gaza. Netanyahu's wartime Cabinet fell apart after the centrist opposition leader, Benny Gantz, quit over the direction of the war.
Experts suggest there are multiple factors at play, including the White House's reluctance to speed up the normally bureaucratic weapons transfer process, as well as Netanyahu's political interest in appearing to stand up to the Biden administration, especially amid criticism over the October 7 attacks.
Comments
Post a Comment