President Joe Biden has abruptly reversed his position on Israel, turning from a close ally to a public critic who has misrepresented the country's negotiating stance and falsely implied war crimes. This betrayal has left Israel with little reason to trust the American president, who has put his own political aspirations ahead of the Jewish state's security.
President Joe Biden's shift against Israel began when he announced an embargo on the sale of offensive weapons to the country. This move was a clear sign of Biden's changing attitude towards Israel, which had been a close ally for decades.
Biden's turn against Israel was completed with his speech last Friday and his interview with Time Magazine published this week. When asked if Israel had committed war crimes in Gaza, Biden responded, "The answer is it's uncertain and has been investigated by the Israelis themselves."
This response was manifestly not "uncertain." Israel has fought the most restrained war in history, with far more care for civilians in the enemy's territory than any other nation in history.
Biden's next response to a question about whether Israel was prolonging the war for its own political self-preservation was even more troubling. Biden said, "There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion."
This was a thinly veiled attack on Israel's democratically-elected leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, and it suggested that Biden was willing to believe the worst about Israel, even if there was no evidence to support his claims.
In the same Time interview, Biden was asked about an alleged "offer" that Netanyahu had made to Hamas. Biden responded by saying that Netanyahu was offering to "deal" with Hamas, which was a clear misrepresentation of Israel's position.
Israel has never moved from its insistence that the war in Gaza will continue until Hamas and all its allies have lost power in Gaza. Biden's misrepresentation of Israel's position was a serious blow to trust between the two countries.
Biden's betrayal of Israel is a sign of how far the American president has fallen. Biden has gone from being a friend of Israel to its most visible and credible critic.
This betrayal is not only a personal one, but it is also a strategic one. The United States support for and assistance to Israel is a strategic necessity for Israel. However, this support is now in jeopardy because of Biden's actions.
President Joe Biden is no longer a friend of Israel. He has turned on the country at a time when Israel is facing existential threats. Biden's betrayal has left Israel with little reason to trust the American president, and it has put the strategic partnership between the two countries in jeopardy.
