Commentary: Big Tent Ideas

BRYAN LEIB: Joe Biden Should Stay Out Of Israel’s Business

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Over the last 2 ½ years, it’s been rather difficult to find a time when President Joe Biden has done something in words or actions to show the world that his administration stands shoulder to shoulder with America’s most trusted ally in the Middle East, the State of Israel.

This has been thrust into the spotlight once again as President Biden has been actively meddling in Israel’s domestic affairs (something President Obama did regularly) related to the judicial reform bill.

In a rare moment earlier this week, President Biden issued an official statement rebuking the Israeli government using the words “unfortunate.” Several prominent Democrat lawmakers have been using words like “Democracy has died in Israel.” Absurd statements at every turn. As sure as the sun rose this morning in Israel, it will rise again tomorrow and the day after that. Israel is a strong and vibrant democracy.

During the course of this Biden Administration, there have been some sporadic words/statements that offered lukewarm support but if you talk to any Israeli on the ground in Israel, they will tell you President Biden’s approach towards supporting Israel and foreign diplomacy is much different than President Trump’s approach.

Israelis commonly refer to the four years of the Trump Administration as “the golden age” for the US-Israel alliance, and they aren’t wrong!

It was President Trump and his team that recognized Israel’s eternal and undivided capital, Jerusalem, moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, stood with Israel at the UN, withdrew the US from UNESCO due to their anti-Israel bias, recognized Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights and created the Abraham Accords that ushered in a new era of peace in the Middle East!

I could go on and on about these accomplishments but I don’t think I could name a single one for this current administration.

On the flip side, Biden’s approach seems to be all about appeasing and emboldening our adversaries while upsetting our allies at every turn. Trump’s approach was about peace through strength, holding our enemies accountable and supporting our allies on the world stage.

One can look no further than the growth of the alliance between the Islamic Republic of Iran and China. From China investing billions of dollars into “infrastructure projects” in Iran to China buying billions of oil from the Mullahs in Tehran — this alliance between two of America’s leading adversaries has never been stronger and this has happened on Biden’s watch.

And I don’t think we the American people, or the Israeli people, should be surprised that the US-Israel went from all-time highs under Trump to perhaps all-time lows under Biden.

We shouldn’t be surprised because in many ways when it comes to foreign policy, the Biden Administration is a total reboot of the 8 years of the Obama administration.

My statement is supported by the fact that almost every single Obama Administration official from Antony Blinken to Wendy Sherman to Robert Malley to Jake Sullivan to John Kerry are back again holding senior positions in the Administration.

Furthermore, it was in the final days of the Obama administration in 2016 when the United States allowed Resolution 2334 to pass in the UN Security Council condemning Israel for building on sovereign Israeli land.

The very same Obama administration that in its waning hours defied Republican opposition and quietly released $221 million to the Palestinian Authority that GOP members of Congress had been blocking. It should be noted that now President Biden was the Vice President during these moments when the United States took anti-Israel positions.

Americans and the Israelis shouldn’t be surprised that the Biden Administration has called the Netanyahu government “extreme” while they can’t find the moral courage to condemn Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal for calling Israel a racist state or Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib who routinely calls Israel an “apartheid” country.

This same administration has rarely ever used the words “Abraham Accords” while also halting U.S. funding for joint R&D projects at Ariel University.

What I’ve laid out in this piece are not my opinions, they are facts. President Biden has had endless opportunities to grow the US-Israel alliance and weaken our adversaries but he has missed the mark every single time.

President Biden should be laser focused on America’s own domestic issues instead of meddling into the domestic affairs of America’s most trusted ally in the Middle East, Israel.

Bryan E. Leib is the Executive Director of CASEPAC, the former Executive Director of Iranian Americans for Liberty, and a former GOP Congressional Candidate. He tweets at @BryanLeibFL

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.