WASHINGTON, Oct 21 — When Joe Biden met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet during his visit to Israel, the US president assured them: “I don’t believe...
US President Joe Biden has demonstrated unwavering support for Israel’s security over a half century in public life. — Reuters picWASHINGTON, Oct 21 — When Joe Biden met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet during his visit to Israel, the US president assured them: “I don’t believe you have to be a Jew to be a Zionist, and I am a Zionist.
Biden’s alignment with the right-wing leader risks alienating some progressives in his Democratic Party as he seeks re-election in 2024, with a growing international outcry against Israel’s tactics also casting some blame on the US. Entering national politics in 1973, Biden spent the next five decades forging his policy positions — iron-clad support for Israel’s security coupled with backing for steps toward Palestinian statehood — as he served as US senator, Barack Obama’s vice president and finally president.
While Biden and Netanyahu profess to be long-time friends, their relationship was frayed in recent months with the White House echoing Israeli opponents of Netanyahu’s plan to curb the powers of the Supreme Court of Israel. While Republicans have shown near-unanimity in endorsing whatever action Israel takes, Biden faces dissent from a faction of progressives pushing for Israeli restraint and a ceasefire.