U.S. President Joe Biden’s performance in Israel, which is at war with the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, was more bold than his decision to visit. He hugged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as if comforting the families of victims of the 9/11 attacks, and believed him when he said, “We did not attack the hospital in Gaza.” He could be seen as a ‘blind trust in Israel’ in the Islamic world. In fact, anger in the Arab world is boiling over. There are even concerns that the possibility of an escalation of war has increased. Why did President Biden do that?
“When Biden returns home, the possibility of an escalation of war increases.”
President Biden’s ‘first action’ upon arriving at the airport in Tel Aviv, Israel on the 18th (local time) was a hug with Prime Minister Netanyahu, who greeted him on the tarmac. Regarding the hospital explosion disaster in the Gaza Strip, the stronghold of Hamas, the previous day, it appeared that the Arab countries were exempting their allies from responsibility without considering the atmosphere of criticism of Israel. Even though the four-party meeting with the leaders of the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, and Jordan, which was scheduled after his visit to Israel, was canceled, he once again cheered on Israel, which is considering sending ground troops to the Gaza Strip.
Many Muslims did not readily believe Israel’s explanation that the hospital disaster was the work of the Palestinian armed group ‘Islamic Jihad’. This is due to the ‘distrust’ created by the long-standing hostile relationship. Here, President Biden provided additional impetus, and anger spread further throughout the Arab world. Protests denouncing Israel and the United States continued in Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Morocco, Iraq, Tunisia, and Turkmenistan. In Iraq, Iranian-backed Islamic militias also attacked U.S. military bases.
President Biden’s core goal when deciding to go to Israel was to block the escalation of war. However, by the time he returned home, CNN reported that there was a greater possibility that the war between Israel and Hamas would expand beyond the border. Politico, a political media outlet, quoted a high-ranking Hamas official as saying, “Hamas is coordinating the next phase of the war against Israel with the pro-Iranian Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.”
Could it be that President Biden really did not anticipate스포츠토토 this development? There is an analysis that there is a possibility that the mentality was different. Ultimately, the key to the escalation of war that he had in mind was ‘what Israel will do.’ The British Guardian pointed out, “Biden’s urgent priority would have been to block Israel’s hard-line response, which could stimulate Iran and Hezbollah’s participation in the war, in a ‘non-hard-line manner.’” The New York Times interpreted that “Biden’s means of asking Israel not to let the enormous sadness and anger push the country too far were an unusual wartime visit and full support.” This means that the leverage needed to dissuade ‘excessive retaliation’ was a hug.
“If anger overwhelms us, we will repeat America’s mistakes.”
In fact, President Biden advised Israel at a press conference after a meeting with Israel’s war cabinet that day, saying, “After 9/11, Americans were also angry and sought justice, but they also made mistakes,” and “don’t be consumed by anger.” He advised us not to follow in the footsteps of the United States, which paid great costs by invading Afghanistan and Iraq.
In addition, the judgment that it is beneficial from a domestic political perspective may be behind the pro-Israel actions. First of all, there is nothing wrong with siding with Israel about a year before the presidential election. Dr. Larry Serbato, a political analyst at the University of Virginia, told the Guardian, “Considering the fact that the base of support for Israel is very wide in the United States, this is an opportunity for the incumbent president.” In addition, it is advantageous for securing security budget. As public opinion in the U.S. has weakened for additional support for Ukraine due to the prolongation of the war against Russia, the U.S. media reported that President Biden’s plan is to request a budget from Congress by bundling it in a package with support for Israel.
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