Biden administration finally gets angry at Netanyahu, but for wrong reason

Michael F. Brown Rights and Accountability 20 June 2024

Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a map behind them

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has abetted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu time and again in carrying out war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

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The Biden administration finally got angry at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week.

But the anger was not over Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza. Nor was it over Israeli human rights abuses in the West Bank and the entrenchment of apartheid.

No, the administration’s wrath emerged because Netanyahu accused President Joe Biden and company of withholding weapons needed to carry out war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

Following more than eight months of strong US military support to Israel as it metes out horrors in Gaza, Netanyahu repaid Biden by criticizing him for placing minimal limitations on weapons to Israel.

The Biden administration is filled with know-nothings if they’re at all surprised.

In a recorded message shared via X/Twitter on 18 June, Netanyahu targeted the Democratic administration.

“When Secretary [of State Antony Blinken] was recently here in Israel, we had a candid conversation. I said I deeply appreciated the support the US has given Israel from the beginning of the war. But I also said something else. I said it’s inconceivable that in the past few months the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel. Israel, America’s closest ally, fighting for its life, fighting against Iran and our other common enemies.”

Netanyahu added, “Secretary Blinken assured me that the administration is working day and night to remove these bottlenecks. I certainly hope that’s the case. It should be the case. During World War II, [British Prime Minister Winston] Churchill told the United States, ‘Give us the tools, we’ll do the job.’ And I say, ‘Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job a lot faster.’”

But Netanyahu was needlessly flexing. The Washington Post had reported the previous evening, 17 June, that a top Democrat, Congressman Gregory W. Meeks of New York, had signed off on the sale of F-15s to Israel. Almost all weapons, and future weapons such as the F-15s, are moving to Israel.

The Post reported that the Biden administration had exerted pressure on Meeks, who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had largely stood alongside Meeks out of “collegial solidarity” according to The Post.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in response to a question about Netanyahu’s statement: “We genuinely do not know what he’s talking about. We just don’t.”

Jean-Pierre acknowledged just one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs that had been held up by the administration in May ahead of Israel’s anticipated assault on the Palestinian city of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Blinken noted that other than those large bombs “everything else is moving as it normally would move and, again, with the perspective of making sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against this multiplicity of challenges.”

Axios reported that “in private, Biden’s team was angry and shocked by Netanyahu’s ingratitude, according to one US official.”

That anger prompted pushback from commentators well aware that the administration’s fury perversely outstrips any rage from the administration over Israel’s genocidal policies. The administration’s anger at Netanyahu is understandable, but misplaced when compared to what should be far greater concern about Israel’s actions on the ground.

Democratic leaders tied themselves to Netanyahu and his war crimes and shouldn’t be surprised that he chose political expediency over a more amicable relationship.

The administration’s reaction of canceling – or quite possibly just postponing – a scheduled meeting with Israeli officials about Iran is extremely mild.

Netanyahu, after all, has pocketed enormous Biden administration support and then sawed off the tree branch Biden happily clambered onto in support of Israel’s actions, even as this position contradicts the progressive base of his party during a critical presidential election season.

And, unsurprisingly, Netanyahu claimed victory to the Israeli public. His office tweeted that “US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew told Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday [18 June] that the ammunition and weapons that the PM referred to are in the process of being delivered to Israel.”
The Biden administration’s priorities are completely misplaced. They prefer to hold Netanyahu tight rather than embrace the position of grassroots Democrats who insist on denying the Israeli military American weapons for war crimes.

Amidst the horror of arming Israel for the current onslaught against Palestinians, the Biden administration is also making sure Israel is well armed should Netanyahu decide to lay waste to Lebanon as he has to Gaza.

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Kate MacQueen replied on

Democrats don't get it, Netanyahu and right-wing Israeli Zionists (i.e. the majority of Israeli Jews) are stumping for Trump. Netanyahu only does a little bit of hedging his bets on the outcome of the U.S. elections. Biden's going down, not because of the Russian or Chinese interference that Democrat fear-mongers complain about, but because of Israeli interference.

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Peter Purich replied on

It looks like "Israel" has one big vote for the US election and US voters, well, whatever.

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Michael F. Brown

Michael F. Brown is an independent journalist. His work and views have appeared in The International Herald Tribune, TheNation.com, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The News & Observer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Washington Post and elsewhere.