discussion Biden's Middle East Policy Is Horrific. Trump's Would Be Even Worse

[Stimulus]

Biden's Middle East Policy Is Horrific. Trump's Would Be Even Worse

Common Dreams (opinion) / Bob Dreyfuss / Jun 17, 2024

 

When it comes to the Middle East, the choice in November 2024 is clear enough. We may wish we had a different choice, but we do not.

 

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Recently, I attended a demonstration called by groups opposing the carnage in Gaza, where eight months of air, ground, and sea attacks by the Israeli Defense Forces have leveled entire quadrants of cities and killed more than 36,000 Palestinians. Many of the participants, justly outraged by the ongoing mass murder triggered by Hamas's October 7th terrorist massacre, bitterly criticized President Biden over his continuing support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war.

 

Asked about the likely choice in November between Biden and Donald Trump, the consensus among the demonstrators was that they wouldn't vote for "Genocide Joe," and that there was nothing to choose from between Biden and Trump when it comes to Middle East policy. Some would simply stay home, while some might vote for the Green Party or another third party, and even those who might eventually pull the lever for Biden pledged to vote "uncommitted" in any primary to "send a message to the White House."

 

Still, no matter the horrors — and they are horrors — of Gaza and of the low-intensity war Israel is also waging in the occupied West Bank, and despite Israel's regular artillery and bombing runs against targets in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and even Iran, those who argue that there's no difference between Biden and Trump when it comes to Israel are deeply mistaken.

 

Biden represents a long-standing mainstream allegiance to Israel as an American ally, but — like other former presidents, including George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama — he disdains Israel's extremist, pro-settler far right. And as he learned during the Obama years, President Biden is all too aware that Netanyahu has long explicitly thrown in his lot with the Republican Party and, more specifically, with Donald Trump as its standard-bearer.

 

Trump, on the other hand — ever transactional, with distinctly bizarre attitudes toward American Jews and, in particular, Jewish supporters of Israel — has gone out of his way to cultivate his connection to Netanyahu and the most extreme wing of Israel's governing parties. To placate Christian Zionists, who comprise a substantial chunk of his base, he's donned the cloak of an uber-Zionist himself. During his administration, in fact, he named his son-in-law Jared Kushner as his Middle East "czar." Kushner has lifelong ties to Netanyahu, who even slept in his bedroom when Kushner was young. ("Jared Kushner once lent Benjamin Netanyahu his bed," is how the Jerusalem Post put it.)

 

So, while pro-Palestinian demonstrators are focusing their anger on Biden, they may, all too ironically, find themselves targeted for deportation by Donald Trump, should he win a second term in office. "One thing I do is, any student that protests, I throw them out of the country," was his comment on the Gaza protests. "You know, there are a lot of foreign students. As soon as they hear that, they're going to behave."

continued...

[byzantium]

When are people going to learn that you cannot guilt people into supporting a pro-genocide politician.  

[Communion]

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However, unlike Trump, Kushner, Friedman, and Greenblatt, closely tied to Netanyahu and Israel's extreme right, Biden (and the Democrats more broadly) have been far more closely allied with mainstream and center-left Israelis.

 

FYI - These arguments don't work either when the "moderates and leftists" of Israel have shown themselves to just as badly want the eradication of the Palestinian people as Bibi and the far-right, ironically just as the same behavior betrays American politicians. 

 

Every accusation is a confession. There are no moderates in Israel. Israel needs to be dissolved and its citizens undergone mass forced re-education and de-radicalization. 

[GhostBox]

Everyone knows this. But if some are willing to take that gamble that's on them 🤷

[Almighty Gaga]

The US runs on one ideology regardless of who's president. It's funny people think there's a difference between Biden and Trump.

[State of Grace.]

"Left-Israelis" and Netanyahu 

 

[Blue Monday]

8 minutes ago, Almighty Gaga said:

The US runs on one ideology regardless of who's president. It's funny people think there's a difference between Biden and Trump.

There are quite a few differences actually 

[kellebrity98]

1 hour ago, Almighty Gaga said:

The US runs on one ideology regardless of who's president. It's funny people think there's a difference between Biden and Trump.

also trump's effect on europe.. my country's leader supports trump and for the european parliament elections their slogan was "make hungary great again"   how that man became a president? i don't remember him as a politician before, all i know is that he was a billionaire before being the president

Edited June 18 by kellebrity98

[Taylena]

Yes, despite significant pressure from the left, Biden's policy is still terrible. Who can guarantee it won't become even worsen if he wins reelection and doesn't have to pretend anymore to give a **** about Palestine? 

[Mean Trees]

White Liberals and "progressives" are so annoying with their audacity to try to guilt people, a lot of whom who are racialized muslims, to get their failed patient back in office. 

[Raver]

More fear mongering from the Biden bots 

[DiabeticGrandpa]

Voting for Trump and Biden is basically the same thing

[Kitboga]

Netanyahu is center right.

[DAP]

The state repression envisioned for Trump is already happening under Biden, so I guess the student protestors have him to thank for making that a possibility.  

[Into The Void]

Both options suck I understand why people want to cote 3rd party. Honestly, I have no desire to vote.

[Mean Trees]

I'm just going to post this video when another a ''Vote Biden!!!!1111111111" thread is made.

 

 

 

 

[GraceRandolph]

The whole lesser evilism bullshit has reached a complete dead end.

[Phaunzie]

Actually, if you know Biden from the 90s, you know he has always been like this and will continually get worse. This man is Zionist and is more than happy to help Israel in their genocidal mission. Democrat foreign policy has always been trigger-happy and vicious.  I'm sry, neither candidate deserves to be in the oval office. Like, vote third party because neither party are worth it.

Edited June 20 by Phaunzie

[John Slayne]

'Biden is better than Trump' is really not the flex moderates think it is and it will certainly not excite young people to show up for Biden in November. the bar is on the floor. y'all need to come up with something else.

 

also 

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So, while pro-Palestinian demonstrators are focusing their anger on Biden,

??? 

who are they supposed to focus on if not the person who is actually in power right now and is directly responsible for the US foreign policy and stance on the genocide? 

 

yes Trump was terrible but enough with the dumb excuses, Trump has been out of office for 4 years now and for some of that time Democrats had majority in both House and Senate. your response to Biden's (and Dems in general) failures can't forever just be 'but Trump!!!1!'