This is the first part of a two-part series examining the origins of President Joe Biden’s stance on Israel. For part two, click here.
Washington DC – In retrospect, this may have been one of the most defining moments of Joe Biden’s career.
With a stern face and outstretched arms, the then Democratic senator paced from left to right while launching an impassioned appeal to his colleagues in the US Congress. His message? Stop apologizing for your support of Israel.
“There is no apology to be made. None, he said, pausing for dramatic effect.
“If there was no Israel, the United States of America would have to invent an Israel to protect its interests in the region. The United States should invent an Israel.”
It was June 1986: Biden, just 43 years old, was decades away from becoming president. But in the years since, his words have taken on near-mythical significance – repeatedly presented by Biden himself as a symbol of his pro-Israel bona fides.
Today, Biden remains – in his words – “unwavering” in his support for Israel, despite anger over its deadly military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Some observers view his current position as the product of decades spent building a reputation as one of Israel’s leading champions in Washington, DC.
This support could, however, prove to be a political handicap.
The war in Gaza has sparked fears of genocide as Israel bombs the Palestinian territory and limits access to food and water. More than 26,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks.
But the Biden administration has blocked ceasefire resolutions at the United Nations and even bypassed Congress to increase arms sales to Israel — prompting many experts to say he is leading one of the world’s most successful administrations. most resolutely pro-Israeli in the history of the United States.
“It’s self-defeating. It is not in the interest of the United States to support a criminal and genocidal attack on Gaza. It is not in the political interests of the Biden administration to support the war on Gaza,” said Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a think tank in Washington, DC.
“But President Biden insisted against all odds and against all advice…to continue the flow of arms and unconditional political support to Israel. »
So why is the administration’s support for Israel so unwavering? Tel Aviv Tribune spoke to more than a dozen foreign policy experts, rights advocates and former U.S. officials about the factors behind Washington’s position.
In this first installment of a two-part series, we examine Biden’s personal and professional ties to Israel, forged over decades, and what his support for Israel amid the Gaza war means for his political future.
In part two, we examine how history, domestic politics, and foreign policy strategies influence the Biden administration’s position.