US POTUS Joe Biden is hurting in the polls because of how Americans view his handling of the Israel-HAMAS war. More than a third of Democrats think he’s showing too much support for Israel. It’s mostly young voters who disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the war as they’ve grown up viewing the poor living conditions of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank under the occupation of Israel.
It doesn’t help that President Biden in desiring to be supportive of Israel’s right to dismantle HAMAS, the terrorist group ruling Palestinians in Gaza because of its unprovoked October 7th brutal massacre of Israeli citizens, has to work with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who’s not interested in listening to him.
“Experience shows,” an editorial by Haaretz said, “that Netanyahu resorts to manipulation, lies and scheming, and his second nature is to set traps that are discovered only when it’s too late.”
So, President Biden is paying a political price while US national security interests are being put at risk as he defends Israel before western allies and Arab friends in the UN Security Council who are outraged with how Israel has been conducting this conflict.
With the lack of tangible, specific goals regarding Israel’s plans to eliminate HAMAS, there has been massive death and destruction, with 1.9 million Palestinians displaced and well over 17,000 killed.
Since a face-off between the US and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is inevitable, it’s my opinion that it’s better for the US President Joe Biden to stage a confrontation NOW with Israel’s smarter and more devious Trump clone who’s been burdened with multiple criminal charges to where in 2023 he has been working overtime to transform a 75-year-old democracy into an autocracy.
See: Biden administration makes a significant move attempting to reshape Israel’s war on Hamas/ CNN…
Most Americans and Israelis agree with the goal of Israel dismantling HAMAS, the terrorist governing body over Palestinians in Gaza because of its unprovoked October 7 brutal massacre of Israeli citizens, but they’re uneasy about having to trust Israel’s prime minister, and his extreme right-wing governing coalition to execute this mission, solely in the best interest of the Israeli peoples and to do everything possible to rescue hostages still held in Gaza.
Netanyahu lacks sufficient control over and credibility within his governing coalition, which includes a coalition of rightwing nationalists, religious leaders and far-right firebrands let alone the Israeli peoples were his unpopularity has reached record heights even before October 2023 because of his plans to overhaul its judiciary.
There has been a history of strong tensions between the Israeli military (IDF) and the prime minister. Recently, a very popular competent defense leader Yoav Gallant was fired because he challenged the prime minister’s plans to reform Israel’s judiciary system.
There are those in the Israeli military with US officials who’ve been asking the Israeli governing body for better defined war goals with no success. The prime minister has been giving lip-service to US constructive counsel and requests.
The least the US can do is use its position of power due to its sending tons of munitions and billions of dollars to Israel, in addition to its use of the deciding vote in the UN Security Council, by encouraging PM Netanyahu to resign while replacing him with someone like Yoav Gallant.
Imagine a future of having to deal with Donald Trump if he becomes the US president while he’s on the world stage with other authoritarian power-addicted leaders like Vladimir Putin, and Benjamin Netanyahu at the same time?
It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that PM Netanyahu with the Israel- HAMAS conflict and President Putin with his assault on Ukraine are both biding time, waiting to see if their buddy Donald Trump wins in 2024.
The above scenario alone is why the US can’t wait to confront the Israeli prime minister, as a delay places our own US national interests at risk as well as potentially damaging the US reputation for fair dealing among many of our allies.
Meanwhile, the Israeli prime minister who has a long history of wanting to coax the US into a conflict with Iran, has been overly bellicose in his rhetoric about going on the offensive with Hezbollah on the Lebanon border, and the Houthis in Yemen, both terrorist groups which are sponsored by Iran. This is while the US President Biden has been working overtime to prevent these escalations where the US could inadvertently find itself in a confrontation with Iran.
The following report describes tension between Netanyahu and IDF military …
As per a December 10, 2023 article published by The New Arab News, “Israeli army impatient with Netanyahu’s vague Gaza war goals:”
“There’s a growing sense of frustration prevailing among the leadership of the Israeli army towards Benjamin Netanyahu, due to the Israeli prime minister’s failure to define the objectives of the war Israel is waging on the Gaza Strip, an analysis in Haaretz said on Friday.”
“The article claims that Herzi Halevi, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, demanded Netanyahu’s emergency cabinet clearly define the objectives of the war on Gaza before the ground invasion. However, Halevi did not receive a response.”
“With the Israeli army over a month into the ground invasion, Halevi is still waiting for the objectives of the war to be clearly defined, according to the article, which added that Israeli forces are operating in Gaza without concrete aims and goals.”
“The article, written by the newspaper’s military and defense analyst Amos Harel, suggests that the lack of war aims is due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only caring about trying to secure his political future and preparing for the upcoming elections.”
“Netanyahu, as the leader of Israel’s far-right government, is currently facing strong opposition and plummeting public support. The prime minister is also the subject of an ongoing graft trial.”
“Harel claims that what has been notable throughout Israel’s war on Gaza – even before it started – is a fear from Netanyahu and other leaders of making decisions.”
“Often it seems the prime minister prefers to have the army decide for him, so he can blame the General Staff for the failures,” Harel writes.””
“Commenting on Haaretz’s report about the government’s failure to define clear objectives for the war on Gaza, Israeli writer Dan Adin wrote on X that “the army continues to advance and pays a heavy price without the government defining a military or clear political goal for it.”
“This news comes as another report claims that the Israeli army has incurred over 5,000 injures, on average 60-per-day, 2000 of which have been designated disabled.”
As per the December 8, 2023 Haaretz analysis “Hamas Can’t Hold the Israeli Army Back – but Sinwar Has Other Plans” by Amos Harel:
Excerpts:
“Israel is buying time from the US by authorizing more humanitarian aid for Gaza. For example, on Wednesday night the security cabinet approved a larger supply of fuel, in complete contrast to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s militant declarations throughout the war.”
“The top people in the Biden administration know Netanyahu well and don’t find his comments very credible. It seems they know that the prime minister is considering a public confrontation with Washington over continuing the war. This would both strengthen Netanyahu with right-wing voters and pass the buck if the war doesn’t meet the goals – with the army being the second scapegoat here.”
“For domestic political reasons, the administration would prefer a confrontation in January and not April. A collision with Israel in the spring could dent perceptions of the president’s foreign policy ahead of the November election.”
“The public trust hasn’t been restored. Amid the total absence of trust in the government and the appalling performance of its ministries since the massacre, the people are grasping at what they can. The soldiers’ courage and the commanders’ professionalism are helping dull the anger that welled up 2 months ago – but that’s as far as it goes.
“The reservists will be welcomed home emotionally, but they’re returning to a different country. We’re barely beginning to feel the damage to the economy.”
“Netanyahu will have to maneuver between 2 opposing vectors. On one side will be the vast anger from the center-left and returning reservists over the attempt to weaken the judiciary, Netanyahu’s vilification of the General Staff on the eve of the war, his overall responsibility for the strategic failure, and his clinging to power and refusal to take responsibility.”
Gronda Morin 