We thought that President Joe's Biden disastrous withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan was the worst foreign policy debacle we would see in this presidency. We were wrong. President Biden's decision to withhold vital military resources from our ally Israel in the midst of a defensive war against Iran's barbarous proxy, Hamas, takes the prize.
Israel has had two goals for all its actions since Hamas swarmed across the border and massacred 1,200 Israelis on October 7: End the existential threat of Hamas and bring the hostages home. The overwhelming majority of Americans support Israel in this war and support Israel going into Rafah to finish the job. Rafah is the last stronghold where Hamas leaders are hiding deep underground in tunnels, surrounded by hostages—perhaps including the Americans still being held captive.
If Israel doesn't finish off Hamas in Rafah, the terrorist organization will live to fight again—soon—funded as always by Iran. Hamas will be able to rebuild and act on its brazen pledge to repeat the massacre of October 7 again, and again, and again. Meanwhile, the hostages—men, women, and children who have been tortured in those tunnels for more than six months now—will never see the sun or their families' faces again.
President Obama's Secretary of Defense, Bob Gates, famously said that Joe Biden has been wrong on every major foreign policy decision over 40 years. Biden's current stance proves Gates's point, since it is wrong in so many ways, both practical and moral. Biden claims to be concerned about the safety of Palestinian civilians in Rafah, but he is preventing Israel from accessing the targeting technology that makes it easier to eliminate Hamas fighters without harming civilians.
Reports indicate that Biden is holding back a previously delayed shipment of 3,500 bombs, including guided bombs, that were already loaded onto Air Force planes to go to Israel and have now been offloaded.
Biden's "pause" on these arms shipments to Israel affects Israel's operational readiness, prolongs the conflict, and signals weakness to the enemies of America and Israel. It also sends a dangerous signal of disunity. The White House hid these decisions from Congress, which authorized the military aid and overwhelmingly wants to see Israel win this war.
Finally, after months of privately pressuring Israel and threatening to withhold military resources, Biden has brought everything out in public, taking diplomatic and military pressure off Hamas and jeopardizing any hope of negotiating a return of the hostages.
What possible calculation could move an American President to choose Hamas terrorists and their Iranian masters over our key ally and vital security partner, Israel? Clearly, it's about election year politics. Democrats are terrified of the poor polling at the top of their ticket. Biden's decision to tie Israel's hands at this critical moment, to win votes from the growing contingent of antisemites and anti-Israel fanatics in his party, is the most despicable and dangerous action of his presidency.
Where are the Jewish Democrats on this? Some who have tried to be a voice of reason on that side of the aisle have faintly protested this latest betrayal. Those farther to the Left have lavished praise on Biden for his pleasant words and been silent about his vicious actions. The worst of the lot are shouting jubilantly that he is on their side as they stage violent protests against Israel and threaten Jews. None of them are holding Biden to account for the atrocious course he has chosen.
There is an alternative to the weakness, the two-faced talk, and the kowtowing to Iran that we are seeing from the White House today. President Donald Trump has a very different record when it comes to Israel. His policies strengthened our alliance with Israel and strengthened Israel—our true friend and partner—in meaningful ways. He always had Israel's back, in speech and in action. He guided Israel and Arab and Muslim states into the historic Abraham Accords and helped them begin acting on the promise of peace and prosperity in the region that those accords make possible.
We don't need another four years of Joe Biden; neither the U.S. nor Israel can afford another four years of his terrible choices. It's time to bring Donald Trump back to the White House.
By Matt Brooks is the CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
