Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel met with his War Cabinet one day after Joe Biden warned that a major Israeli strike on Rafah would cross a “redline” in terms of U.S. Support for Israel during Gaza War. Netanyahu then slammed Biden.
“We are not vassals of the United States!” He declared. According to Axios, three people, among them a Netanyahu adviser, confirmed his remarks.
Biden has created this crisis in order to appease Arab minorities, who believe they now have power over Biden. Biden was the first American President to ever threaten Israel this way. He is doing this to win Muslim-Arab voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Netanyahu is continuing his Rafah attack, but does not want a rupture in relations between the U.S.
Axios:
According to two sources who were present at the meeting, during Netanyahu’s long tirade, he compared his clash with Biden over Rafah in 2008 with David Ben Gurion’s declaration of Israel’s independence in 1948. This was despite objections by then-U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall.
Netanyahu referred also to his March 2015 address to Congress in which he expressed opposition to President Obama’s efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran.
The speech sparked a rift in relations between Israel and the United States, which angered many Democrats.
An aide to Netanyahu said that the Prime Minister told his cabinet he knew how to resist U.S. pressure and would do it again if necessary.
The aide remembered Netanyahu saying to his cabinet, “We will do everything to protect our safety.”
Biden approved $1billion in military aid to Israel as a way to appease both sides. The aid had been due for months. He wanted to appease Jewish voter.
It is unlikely to work. Some of Biden’s biggest Jewish donors criticize the president’s embargo against certain arms for Israel.
Daily Caller:
Biden supporters have reportedly criticized the president for his remarks on CNN. Axios reports that after the president’s comments, Democratic donor Haim Saban, an Israeli American sent an email to White House officials asking them to inform Biden of his disapproval.
Axios reports that Saban sent an e-mail stating “Bad decisions on all levels, please reconsider. ”
“Let us remember that there are more Jewish voters who support Israel than Muslim voters who support Hamas.”
Biden’s path to 270 electoral votes is more difficult if he loses either Michigan or Pennsylvania.
A smarter president would have tried to reach a compromise by giving both sides something they wanted without actually doing it. But this is beyond Biden and his advisors, who seem obsessed with ideology but lack the vision needed to govern effectively.
