When It Comes to Israel, Biden’s Policy Is Politics

For the man who billed himself as the one who would “restore America’s image” on the world stage, Joe Biden’s move to withhold aid from Israel undermines America’s credibility to our allies and partners. Worse still, his actions and rhetoric are emblematic of his willingness to pander to the most abhorrent elements of the far-left wing of the Democratic Party.

Whom does Biden want to favor – Israel or HAMAS?

Biden would rather appease the pro-Hamas mob than act in the interest of the American people by standing with our longtime ally, Israel.

In early May, the Biden administration undertook a coordinated effort between the State Department and the Department of Defense in stopping the shipment of heavy bombs to Israel. Nearly two months later, Biden continues to hold the shipment, despite Israel moving Palestinian civilians from Rafah – exactly as the Biden administration requested.

All of this was coordinated through the White House directly, without any notification to other stakeholders, specifically the American people’s elected representatives in Congress, who came together in a bipartisan fashion to pass $14.3 billion in emergency aid for Israel. Biden’s decision to withhold the shipment not only degrades our ally Israel’s ability to defend itself, it also undermines the work of Republican and Democratic members of Congress who overwhelmingly support security assistance for Israel.

The Biden administration admitted the weapons hold was done to “send a political message” to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he continues with the Israeli offensive into Hamas’ stronghold of Rafah.

Remember when, about five short years ago, allegedly withholding congressionally mandated foreign aid was an impeachable offense?

Biden doing what he accused Trump of doing

Biden is doing exactly what he accuses former President Trump of by withholding foreign aid for clear political reasons. Biden has shown throughout his presidency that he’s beholden to the extreme far-left of his party, the most vocal manifestation being the antisemitic, anti-American crowd that has stirred trouble on college campuses as of late. Recent polling that suggests he might be at risk of losing their votes in key swing states over his albeit lackluster support for Israel must be cause for alarm in the Biden camp.

The radical pro-Hamas, anti-Israel movement driving the unrest sweeping across the country has seized upon the fact that it’s an election year and Biden is behind in the polls. For a president whose term has been defined by failure and overreliance on disingenuous talking points, he is desperate for votes. It’s abundantly clear that Biden’s decision to withhold aid is politically motivated – but it’s bad politics. The vast majority of Americans, including Republicans, Democrats, and independents, believe we ought to stand with Israel.

Biden is rejecting America’s pro-Israel, bipartisan consensus to appease a small fringe of hateful extremists, and his refusal to send promised support to our trusted partner and ally Israel will also have lasting ramifications abroad. Last week, Netanyahu rightly condemned this course of action as “inconceivable.”

Violation of trust

Biden’s unilateral actions send a message that the U.S. simply cannot be trusted. This is bad for our relationship with Israel and leaves our ally in a potentially vulnerable position against not only Hamas but Iran and its other terrorist proxies like Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border.

Biden’s decision to withhold the weapons is another reminder of his disdain for accountability. Because he has made no effort to responsibly inform Congress on changes to the aid package that he himself signed, he’s made clear that he views himself above our democratic institutions. This in turn lowers the chance that Congress will approve further foreign aid, even if it is much needed. If Biden is willing to publicly withhold aid for blatantly political reasons, what’s to say he won’t do so again in the future?

Finally, for all the talk of “de-escalation,” Biden’s withholding of key munitions is in truth destabilizing the region. Weapons sent to Israel are a display of soft power with the end goal of deterrence towards Iran. Biden’s decision to withhold means that the U.S. cannot project power, diminishing our ability to curb Iran’s influence in the region. Hamas and Iran, no doubt, now know for sure that America’s support for Israel is conditional under Biden.

Betrays Israel

Joe Biden’s refusal to send the agreed-upon military aid to Israel speaks to his character as a morally and ethically bankrupt politician. Perhaps worst of all, it’s evidence that he’ll gladly put terrorist sympathizers ahead of national security if he thinks it will improve his chances in a swing state.

Congress has the tools to put an end to Biden’s underhanded ploy if we can come together across the aisle. Legislation has been introduced with Republican and Democratic co-sponsors that would give Congress the power to override Biden’s decision to withhold aid. For the sake of America’s national security, Congress must act to ensure Joe Biden can no longer sell out our country for votes from the pro-Hamas crowd – a perverse movement that willfully excuses acts of barbarism and stands in fundamental opposition to the ideals our nation was founded upon.

This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.