AAmid a wave of hostile clashes on college campuses across the country over the war in Gaza, President Biden gathered reporters Thursday in the cramped Roosevelt Room across from the Oval Office. In televised statements, he said that peaceful protests are an American tradition, but that “violent protests are not protected.”
As he left, a reporter asked if the protests had forced him to reconsider his policies in the Middle East. Biden was unequivocal.
“No,” he said.
Biden has stood by Israel despite his growing frustrations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, widespread criticism of Israel’s indiscriminate bombing campaign in Gaza, blockade of humanitarian aid to Palestinians, and growing protests against his policies. He did so because Biden sees threats to Israel from outside Hamas, says a White House official, and believes that strengthening Israel’s security is essential to prevent the current conflicts from turning into a broader war across the Middle East .
“I will never leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical,” Biden said during a March 9 interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart.
In the seven months since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages back to Gaza, Israel has been attacked by Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen to the south, militants in Iraq to the east and by Hezbollah in Lebanon along its northern border. And on April 14, Iran launched more than 300 rockets and drones against Israel, the first ever direct attack on Israel by Tehran.
“The barrage of missiles and drones was a reminder of how dangerous the neighborhood Israel lives in and the threats it faces from Iran’s proxies,” said a White House official.
The backlash against US support for Israel has grown in recent months as Israeli bombings have killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza during Israel’s effort to destroy Hamas. Police have arrested more than 2,100 people during pro-Palestinian protests on dozens of university campuses in recent weeks. according to the Associated Press. While many of the protesters are pushing for colleges to reduce investments in Israel, their efforts have also targeted Biden’s handling of the conflict.
Biden is increasingly facing disagreements over his policy toward Israel within his own party, and concerns are growing that the issue is undermining his support among Democratic Party activists and young voters in general, at a time when Biden needs them to help mobilize for the elections in November.
Read more: Exclusive: Trump says Netanyahu deserves some blame for October 7
Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the most outspoken critics in Congress of Biden’s support for Israel, said on CNN on Thursday that he feared Biden’s Israel policy had alienated young people and much of the Democratic base, describing Gaza as “ Biden’s Vietnam.” President Lyndon Johnson, who won important political victories in expanding health care and anti-poverty programs, decided not to run for re-election in 1968 because the protest movement against his escalation in Vietnam had undermined his support within the Democratic Party. .
In recent weeks, Biden has increased his criticism of Netanyahu. He said on MSNBC in March that the Israeli leader “must pay more attention to the innocent lives lost as a consequence of the actions he took.” In a tense phone call last month, he told Netanyahu to take immediate action to protect civilian lives and allow food aid into Gaza, threatening to shift his administration’s support for the country’s military campaign against Hamas.
But Biden has shown little sign of backing away from what he described as his “steadfast” support for Israel.
Despite political resistance from the left, Biden lobbied hard for the House and Senate to approve a $95 billion foreign aid package in April, which included $26.4 billion for Israel.
The need for such long-term funding for Israel’s military defense became clearer after Iran’s military attack on April 14, its supporters say. “The bill will also help resupply Israel’s air defenses, which is even more important in the wake of Iran’s brazen and unprecedented attack,” Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on April 24. the real threats it faces from Iran, as well as from Iranian proxy groups.”
Biden has struggled to find ways to simultaneously show U.S. support for Israel’s defense and pressure Netanyahu to ease the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. Since Biden’s threat to Netanyahu, the US says it has seen some increase in aid entering Gaza. But now Israeli military planners are preparing forces to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1 million people have sought shelter. US officials are raising alarm about the possible number of civilian deaths and have implored Israel to attack Hamas leaders with tactics that prevent civilian deaths.
Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center for Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, says that when Iranian leaders call for “death to Israel,” American policymakers must take that threat seriously. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is clearly looking for a ring of fire strategy that seeks to encircle Israel with the goal of ultimately exterminating the Jewish state,” says Bowman. It is this broader threat to Israel that makes it unlikely that Biden will scale back military support, even in the face of protests.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
