After Uncle Sam threatened to cut off his prodigal nephew, the Israeli leader vowed, “If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails.” (See story here.)
That’s an interesting concept. It might give Palestinians a fighting chance.
If he’s going to do that, he should let them grow out.
Look, I know the Oct. 7 terror attacks and Gaza war are serious topics, not to be trifled with, and I don’t mean to. But Netanyahu deserves mockery. I’ll explain why.
In 2015, he interfered in U.S. politics by speaking to Congress (at the invitation of Republicans) to undercut the Obama administration’s nuclear negotiations with Iran (see story here). In his own country, “Bibi” was indicted on bribery and fraud charges, and in 2023 he backed an unpopular judicial reform proposal that sparked mass protests.
A hardliner, he’s seen by many as an obstacle to Mideast peace. He’s a driving force behind Israel’s controversial settlements policy, and as prime minister he bears the greatest responsibility for Israel’s excesses in Gaza.
Israel has long been the largest recipient of U.S. military aid (see chart here). While Israel has an extensive arms industry (details here), it depends on the U.S. for advanced weaponry (story here). Nearly all its imported weapons come from the United States.
Last week Biden, facing criticism from voters he can’t afford to lose this election year, delayed a munitions delivery to Israel (see story here). This came after weeks of Israeli officials defying U.S. pleas not to invade Rafah, which is packed with civilians driven there by Israeli forces.
It’s another instance of Netanyahu giving the finger to a U.S. president; or, if you prefer, biting the hand that feeds him. He wants to dictate U.S. policy. He may also be consciously working to help Trump defeat Biden, viewing Trump as more pliable and easier to bend to his wishes.
The standard U.S. aerial bomb is a 500-pounder. The munitions Biden put on hold include 2,000 lb. bombs (see story here). Those huge bombs are designed for area-type targets (video below), and cause indiscriminate destruction and killing. The U.S. fancies itself a moral nation, and Biden isn’t comfortable with what the Israelis might do with them.
But his decision was not free of controversy; Republicans and some pro-Israel Democrats pounced. And the move isn’t likely to appease youthful protesters whose votes he’ll need in November. It’s a lose-lose for Biden, but the right thing to do.
Even if Biden completely turned off the U.S. arms tap, that wouldn’t end the war in Gaza, nor force Israel to fight by scratching Palestinians’ eyes out. But at least Netanyahu has disavowed using the nuclear weapons everybody knows Israel has.