Biden and the Rafah Challenge
Rafah and Red Lines
Biden’s unconditional support for Israel challenges Democrats, causing division. Biden’s electoral struggles are harmed by the Rafah challenge and undermine the rules-based international order that the United States claims to defend.
The incident resulted in 45 civilian casualties and over 200 seriously injured, including many children. Israel claims the whole incident was a tragic accident, not a deliberate political attack. Based on Jen Psaki’s statements, it seems the White House is inclined to believe this narrative.
Also, because if he did not do this and stated that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has exceeded the limit imposed by Washington, he must act according to what he promised. This will not happen, and despite international criticisms and protests, Israel increases its military attacks and, according to some reports in the US media today, uses US-made munitions.
Increasing dissatisfaction among Democrats.
Five months before the November presidential elections, the unconditional support of the Israeli war cabinet has caused a rift within the Democrats and the US government.
White House statements are being adjusted with the resignation of several officials from the State Department and the Department of Defense who increasingly feel uncomfortable with their above-policy. The latest is, in order of timing, Stacey Gilber, a representative of the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
He explained in an email to his staff that this decision is directly related to a controversial report that says Israel has not hindered the distribution of aid to Gaza.
This report concludes that Israel’s assurances that it does not violate US laws or international laws, contrary to warnings issued by the United Nations and reputable international organizations, are valid.
Gilbert, who has these concerns, stated in his note that he believes Israel deliberately prevents aid from reaching non-combatants in Gaza.
Discontent is not limited to Democrats only; in US states where primary elections continue, the percentage of voters casting undecided votes is increasing, just as the fear that Biden’s support for Israel could benefit Trump in the November election.
A welcoming embrace.
Declaring a red line without enforcing it not only exposes governments to accusations of double standards but also puts them in a position of weakness.
As requests for a ceasefire in various parts of the world increase, Washington seems increasingly isolated. Last week, Norway, Ireland, and Spain officially recognized the existence of a Palestinian state and broke ranks with Europe after the attack on Rafah. Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs in Brussels, announced his intention to evaluate the cooperation agreement between the EU and Israel, which forms the basis of the Jewish state’s trade agreements with 27 European countries.
In nearly eight months, the United States has actively shielded Israel from a bitter audit of the consequences of the Gaza war. As Israel alienated and frustrated international public opinion, Washington tried to downplay South African accusations in the International Court, which last week ordered Israel to end its military attack on Rafah. When Karim Khan, the senior prosecutor of the International Court of Justice, asked the judges of this court to issue arrest warrants for senior Hamas officials and Israeli leaders and accuse them of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the US Secretary of State threatened to sanction this court.
A vanished line
In early May, for the first time since the start of the US-Israel conflict, the shipment of heavy bomb payloads to Israel was delayed due to a disagreement over Rafah. Following this action, Biden’s remarks that Israelis entering Rafah will not be armed had raised hopes that Washington might ultimately reconsider its unwavering support and conditions for Israel. This optimism faded soon after several official endorsements of Israel’s armor support and the White House’s approval of transferring $1 billion in arms to its ally.
Israel receives at least $38 billion in military aid from the United States annually, and last month Biden signed an additional $14 billion aid package to the country. With escalating tensions in Gaza, several observers now say it is clear that the Biden administration, despite statements against the Rafah incursion and repeated requests from Israel to ensure support for non-combatants, has no intention of changing course.
Perhaps Biden’s concerns about the Palestinians, along with the port they were building along the Gaza coast, have disappeared. It’s a joke circulating on several social media accounts these hours, referring to a floating dock built by the United States off the coast of Gaza to supply food to the heavily sanctioned Gaza Strip by Israel. It cost hundreds of millions of dollars and was shut down just a few weeks after it started operating due to damage from a storm at sea.
The Guardian newspaper today claims in a harsh editorial that more than the port, it is their reputation that the United States should be concerned about. The decision to align with Israel in this way will also pose a danger to weakening the international order based on laws that America claims to want to defend.
It could be argued that nothing better than a floating dock built by the United States to deliver humanitarian aid that the people of this strip desperately need could not be a sign of the failure of US policy in Gaza.
With a cost of over $300 million, it is currently inactive due to recent storm damage.
Between the aid that does not reach and the red lines like the Rafah lines, which are immune from punishment and complete inability to prevent a military response from Israel, which now seems to have turned into an unspecified revenge, Biden sees that his credibility is diminishing both domestically and internationally.
And given the increasing criticism of Democratic voters towards Israel, this country is at risk of paying heavy electoral costs in November.
