One Year of Empty Rhetoric From the White House on Israel’s Wars
In March, as Israel threatened to invade Rafah in southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had been sheltering, President Joe Biden acknowledged that if Israel invaded the city, it would be crossing a red line."
It was Biden's first public acknowledgement that any red line," limits, or conditions existed for U.S. support for Israel. In May, Biden followed up by halting the transfer of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs to Israel in an effort to limit civilian casualties in Rafah.
In July, however, the U.S. resumed shipments of 500-pound bombs. The following month, the Biden administration approved a $20 billion weapons sales deal to Israel for the coming years, which is currently being held up in Congress due to a resolution from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. In September, the Biden administration approved a separate $8.7 billion arms package.
The rhetoric coming out of the White House, when it has been focused on peace or restraint, rather than continuous war, has been undercut at every turn by its actions. The constant supply of weapons - $17.9 billion of bullets, bombs, shells, and other military aid in the past year - has allowed Israel to keep waging its war on Gaza, and in recent weeks, expand that war to Lebanon and threaten to escalate its conflict with Iran. Despite documentation of U.S. weapons being used in probable war crimes, and credible allegations that Israel is committing genocide in its war on Gaza, the bombs have continued to flow.
Yousef Munayyer, a political analyst who heads the Palestine/Israel Program at the Arab Center Washington D.C., called Biden's approach to Israel a no-restraints policy," referring to comments made by White House national security spokesperson John Kirby, in the first month of the war, saying the U.S. has no red lines for Israel.
Related Israel's Year of Killing, Maiming, Starving, and Terrorizing the People of Gaza And I think that has been the most consistent message from the White House," Munayyer said. It's been received very clearly by the Israelis, there are no red lines, and it seems that every step the Israelis are taking where they push beyond what they've done before, whether it's starting to target hospitals, and then obliterating them completely, doing the same with universities, aid workers, journalists - every line has been crossed because there has been no pushback whatsoever."
For the past year, Biden and his administration have assured the public it is working to protect Palestinian civilians and, more recently, that it is working on a ceasefire deal. But the U.S.-led diplomacy and rhetorical censures have fallen short of addressing the catastrophic consequences on the ground.
Here is a year of what Biden and his administration officials have said, and what they have done.
October 2023Israel has to respond. They have to go after Hamas. Hamas is a bunch of cowards. They're hiding behind the civilians. ... The Israelis are gonna do everything in their power to avoid the killing of innocent civilians."
- Biden in an October 15 interview with 60 Minutes" as Israel's ground invasion into Gaza begins
That same day, Reuters reports that the initial wave of Israeli airstrikes had killed at least 2,383 people in Gaza.
History has taught us when terrorists don't pay a price for their terror, when dictators don't pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction. They keep going. And the cost and the threat to America and the world keep rising."
- Biden in an October 19 speech delivered after his 30-hour visit to Israel
One day earlier, Biden's administration vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that called for a humanitarian pause" to allow aid into Gaza. Over the following days, Israel continues to bomb Gaza, including refugee zones, killing many civilians.
November 2023We're not drawing red lines for Israel."
- White House national security spokesperson John Kirby on an October 27 press briefing
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks in Tel Aviv on Nov. 30, 2023, urging Israel to create safe zones for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Photo: Saul Loeb/Pool Photo/AP I've seen images too of Palestinian children, young boys and girls, pulled from the wreckage of buildings. When I see that, when I look into their eyes through the TV screen, I see my own children - how can we not?"
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, just one week later on November 3, calling on Israel to enact humanitarian pauses" to allow more aid into Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects U.S. calls for a temporary ceasefire that doesn't include a return of our hostages." He vows Israel will keep fighting with all of its power." After one month of Israel's incursion in Gaza, more than 10,000 people are dead and 70 percent of the territory's residents displaced.
Toward the end of November, a weeklong ceasefire allows Hamas and Israel to swap some Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Fighting resumes November 30.
December 2023[A ceasefire] would only plant the seeds for the next war, because Hamas has no desire to see a durable peace, to see a two-state solution."
- Robert Wood, deputy U.S. ambassador to the U.N., on December 8
Wood vetoes a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire." The next day, Biden bypasses Congress and uses an emergency provision to sell about 14,000 tank shells - worth $106.5 million - to Israel.
Israel's security can rest on the United States, but right now it has more than the United States. It has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world supporting them. They're starting to lose that support by indiscriminate bombing that takes place."
- Biden to a group of donors during a D.C. fundraiser on December 12
The White House, again, uses its emergency powers to approve a $147.5 million sale of artillery supplies to Israel without consulting Congress on December 29. The same day, South Africa brings a case to the U.N. top court, the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing genocide.
By New Year's Eve, the death toll in Gaza climbs to 21,800, with more than 56,000 others wounded. A quarter of Gaza's 2.3 million residents face starvation.
In the West Bank, 2023 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the occupied territory, with 506 Palestinians killed in Israeli military raids and airstrikes, along with Israeli settler violence. It was also the deadliest on record for Palestinian children.
January 2024I pressed on the absolute imperative to do more to protect civilians and make sure that humanitarian assistance is getting into the hands of those who need it and bring back the hostages - Americans, Israelis, and others."
- Blinken, relaying his actions during a January 9 visit to Tel Aviv with Israeli leaders
On January 26, the U.S. pauses its financial support of the central humanitarian assistance organization in Gaza, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, after Israel alleges that 12 of the agency's 30,000 employees participated in the October 7 attack on Israel.
That same day, the International Court of Justice rules that it is plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and orders Israel to stop killing Palestinians in the territory.
We expect Israel to determine what it has to do to comply with that ruling. It's not a ruling that's directed to us; it's a ruling that's directed to Israel. But we do expect them to determine what they need to do to comply with the court's ruling, and we'll be engaging with them about that matter."
- State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Israel's compliance with the ICJ ruling, at a January 30 press briefing
Israel's war in Gaza is already among the deadliest and most destructive conflict in recent history, according to experts. Throughout January, Israeli attacks kill at least 100 Palestinians each day in Gaza, including journalists, civilians at refugee camps, and medical workers at Nassar Hospital, one of Gaza's largest medical centers.
Within one week of the ICJ ruling, Israel kills 900 more people in Gaza.
February 2024I'm of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in Gaza Strip has been over the top. ... I've been pushing really hard, really hard to get humanitarian assistance into Gaza. There are a lot of innocent people who are starving, lot of innocent people who are in trouble and dying. And it's got to stop."
- Biden at a February 8 White House press briefing
Netanyahu says in a televised interview that Israel will launch a ground invasion of Rafah, the southern area of the Gaza Strip to where most of the displaced people in the territory had fled at Israel's urging, following extensive bombing and military operations in the northern portion of Gaza. We're going to do it," he said.
Related Nowhere Left to Go in Gaza as Israel's Ground Assault on Rafah Looms On February 29, Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of people gathering to receive food and other supplies in Gaza City, according to media reports. By end of the month, the death toll in Gaza surpasses 30,000.
March 2024It is a red line, but I'm never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical. So, there's no red line [where] I'm going to cut off all weapons so they don't have the Iron Dome to protect them. But there's red lines that if he crosses and they continue - you cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead as a consequence of going after - there's other ways to deal with the trauma caused by Hamas."
-Biden during a March 9 interview on MSNBC, the first acknowledgment of apparent red lines," or conditions on support for Israel.
Trucks filled with humanitarian aid supplies sit in Egypt at the Rafah crossing into Gaza. Many human rights organizations accuse Israel of intentionally blocking aid. Later reports show the Biden administration was aware of the blockage of aid, which is a violation of international law, and continued to send military aid anyway.
On March 22, Congress approves $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel.
On March 25, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire for the month of Ramadan. The U.S. abstains from the vote, but its representative says that the U.S. supports some of the critical objectives in this nonbinding resolution."
Nothing, nothing has changed about our policy. Nothing," said Kirby about U.S. policy and support of Israel after the U.N. vote.
April 2024I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen. ... This conflict has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed. This is a major reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has been so difficult - because Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians. Incidents like yesterday's simply should not happen. Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians."
- Statement from Biden on April 2
The previous day, an Israeli attack killed seven aid workers in a clearly marked World Central Kitchen convoy that was delivering food. Israel is also suspected of bombing the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, Syria.
Palestinians walk by a World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid vehicle bombed by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on April 2, 2024. Photo: Ismael Abu Dayyah/AP Two days later, on April 4, Biden has a phone conversation with Netanyahu in which he calls for an immediate ceasefire" and urges Netanyahu to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home."
I've just spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu to reaffirm America's ironclad commitment to the security of Israel."
- Statement from Biden on April 13
The previous day, Iran launched a wave of over 300 drones and missiles at Israel in retaliation for the bombing of its embassy in Syria. Most were shot down before hitting their targets.
More than 1,600 Palestinians, many of them civilians, are killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza in the month of April.
May 2024I made it clear that if they go into Rafah ... I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah."
- Biden in a May 8 interview with CNN
On May 6, Hamas accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar. Israel began bombing Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had sought refuge, with plans for a major ground operation.
On May 8, the U.S. halts a shipment of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs to Israel. Israel goes ahead with a more limited operation in Rafah for the rest of the month. The U.S. begins facilitating aid shipments into Gaza via a humanitarian pier" constructed by the U.S. military on the beach in Gaza.
We reject the Prosecutor's equivalence of Israel with Hamas. It is shameful."
-Blinken, on May 20, defending Israel against the ICC allegations
Prosecutors with the International Criminal Court, which oversees war crimes committed by nations, requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, along with Hamas leaders. The court alleges Israel targeted civilians with bombings and starvation.
I just want to, just right off the top, talk about these - the devastating images and reports coming out of Rafah over the weekend following an IDF strike that killed dozens of innocent Palestinians, including children. ... Israel must take every precaution possible and do more to protect innocent life."
As a result of this strike on Sunday, I have no policy changes to speak to."
- Kirby, at a May 28 press briefing, following the Israeli bombing of a refugee camp in Rafah
On May 26, Israel strikes a refugee camp in Rafah - within a designated safe zone - killing 46 people, mostly civilians, including 23 women, children, and elderly Palestinians. Two days later, Israeli tanks bombard another refugee camp in an apparent safe zone, Al-Mawasi, just outside Rafah, killing 21 others. Among the dead are 12 women. It would be the first of three attacks at the refugee camp in the ensuing month.
The Biden administration rejects calls for further change in policy toward Israel.
June 2024Everyone who wants peace now must raise their voices and let the leaders know they should take this deal."
- Biden on May 31, as he announced the details of a ceasefire proposal that would result in the return of all Israeli hostages
Over the course of the following week, Netanyahu says that Israel would not cease fighting until the destruction" of Hamas' military.
On June 8, Israeli forces use an area near the U.S. military's humanitarian pier" to launch an attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp. The Israeli soldiers kill at least 276 Palestinian people and retrieve four Israeli hostages.
Israel accepted the proposal as it was."
- Blinken on June 12, discussing the ceasefire proposal that Israel had not accepted
Netanyahu repeatedly makes clear that Israel will not accept a proposal that involved a permanent ceasefire. Hamas asks for changes to the deal that would ensure that Israel observed a permanent ceasefire.
On June 21, Israel drops a series of bombs on Al-Mawasi refugee camp in southern Gaza, the second attack in as many months at the shelter in the humanitarian zone. The bombs drop around midnight as many lay asleep inside tents and makeshift shelters. At least 25 people, all civilians, are killed in the attack.
Israel's War on Gaza July2024These are difficult, complex issues. There are still gaps to close. We're making progress. The trend is positive. I'm determined to get this deal done and bring an end to this war, which should end now."
-Biden on July 11, on a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
The same day, the U.S. announces its plans to resume shipments of 500-pound bombs to Israel.
I denied them offensive weapons that they were using, 2,000-pound bombs and the rest, because I made it real clear they cannot use weapons that we provide them to, in fact, use in civilian areas. And that's why I put together this plan."
- Biden on July 12 in an interview with Complex, when asked why he offers military aid to Israel
The next day, Israel bombs the Al-Mawasi refugee camp for a third time in three months with its most destructive attack yet, killing at least 90 Palestinians and injuring more than 300 others. The attack draws international condemnation, leading the EU to call for a war crimes investigation. Israel says it was targeting Hamas leaders and other Palestinian militants in the attacks, and blamed them for using human shields."
On July 19, the ICJ rules that Israel's occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and its military occupation of Gaza is an illegal form of segregation and apartheid - and must end.
We believe the best outcome ultimately is to establish an independent Palestinian state - not votes in international bodies that don't do anything, not rhetorical statements that don't do anything - we want to see the actual establishment of an independent Palestinian state. And in our judgment, to get there it is going to require negotiation."
- State Department spokesperson Matt Miller on the ICJ ruling at a July 22 press briefing
Over the weekend, Biden announces that he is no longer running for reelection and endorses Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
I've said it many times, but it bears repeating: Israel has a right to defend itself, and how it does so matters."
What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating - the images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time. We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent."
- Harris, on July 25, following a meeting with Netanyahu in D.C.
The comments feed hopes that Harris, if elected president, could shift from Biden's policy on Israel. On July 31, Israel assassinates the political leader of Hamas with an airstrike on Tehran, Iran.
August 2024We are deeply concerned about reports of civilian casualties in Gaza following a strike by the Israel Defense Forces on a compound that included a school. We are in touch with our Israeli counterparts, who have said they targeted senior Hamas officials, and we are asking for further details."
- National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett on August 10
In the first 10 days of August, Israel shelled or bombed seven different schools across Gaza sheltering displaced people, killing at least 178 people. On the 13th of the month, the Biden administration approves $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, which includes 50 F-15 fighter jets, missiles, and tank ammunition to be delivered in coming years. Blinken and other administration officials continue to say that they are working on a ceasefire deal.
I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself. ... At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking."
- Harris on the stage of the Democratic National Convention on August 23, after accepting the party's presidential nomination.
Over the course of the DNC in Chicago, organizers and the Harris campaign reject a request from the Uncommitted" movement to allow Palestinian American speakers, or any who can speak about the devastation in Gaza, on the convention stage. Critics within the Democratic Party criticize Harris for referring to Palestinian suffering in the passive voice and failing to acknowledge the role Israel and the U.S. have played in their suffering.
Let me be very clear, I'm unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel's defense and its ability to defend itself. And that's not going to change. ... Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. And we have got to get a deal done ... we have to get a deal done. This war must end."
- Harris on CNN on August 29, during her first major TV interview since announcing her candidacy for president
Harris sidesteps a question on whether she might enact an arms embargo on Israel, echoing her DNC speech. Hope that she would shift policy away from Biden's support of Israel's war fades.
September 2024I am outraged and deeply saddened by the death of Aysenur Eygi. Aysenur was a recent U.S. college graduate. She was also an activist whose idealism led her to travel to the West Bank to peacefully protest the expansion of settlements. The shooting that led to her death is totally unacceptable.
Israel has acknowledged its responsibility for Aysenur's death, and a preliminary investigation has indicated that it was the result of a tragic error resulting from an unnecessary escalation."
- Biden, on September 11, after an Israeli soldier shot and killed American citizen Aysenur Eygi in the West Bank
Eygi, who was observing a protest against an illegal Israeli settlement near the West Bank village of Beita, was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier on September 6. Biden did not comment on the incident for five days. There has been no public follow-up from the incident since.
All I'll say is that we want to see the war end, and everything we've been doing since the beginning has been designed to prevent the conflict from escalating."
- Kirby, on September 18, in response to a question about whether the pager bombings in Lebanon will escalate the ongoing conflicts
On September 17, Israel detonates pagers across Lebanon, followed by walkie-talkies and other electronic devices. The attacks target Hezbollah members but kill and injure bystanders as well, killing at least 45 people and injuring more than 3,500 others in total. Israel follows up with bombings in Beirut and southern Lebanon, with threats to begin a ground invasion.
Later reporting in Politico would show that two senior White House officials, presidential adviser Amos Hochstein and White House coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk, told Israeli officials that they agreed it was an opportune time for Israel to expand its war into Lebanon.
Israel kills Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on September 27 by dropping more than 80 bombs, including American-made bunker buster" 2,000-pound bombs, on six apartment buildings in a Beirut suburb, leveling them all. The Israeli strike also kills a number of civilians, with estimates ranging between six and 30.
I'm comfortable with them stopping. We need a ceasefire now."
- Biden at a September 30 White House press briefing, publicly calling on Israel to not invade Lebanon
Later that day, Israel begins its invasion of Lebanon.
October 2024They have a right to respond, but they should respond in proportion." - Biden, on October 3, regarding Israel's possible response after Iran fired roughly 200 ballistic missiles on Israel.
On October 1, Iran launches a barrage of ballistic missiles on military targets in Israel. Two days later, an Israeli airstrike kills 28 health care workers in Lebanon, contributing to the more than 2,000 people killed by Israeli attacks in Lebanon within the first three weeks of its offensive into the country.
Palestinians mourn as the bodies of those who lost their lives due to the Israeli army's bombardment of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Mosque and Ibn Rushd School, which were housing displaced people, are taken from the morgue for burial in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on Oct. 6, 2024. Photo: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images In the days leading up to the October 7 anniversary, an Israeli airstrike in the West Bank city of Tulkarem kills a family of four, including two young children. While most of the world's eyes have been on Gaza, Israel has also ramped up its airstrikes and raids in the occupied West Bank, killing 697 Palestinians, including 161 children and 12 women. Of those, 186 deaths were due to airstrikes.
On the eve of October 7, 2024, Israel launches strikes in central Gaza, bombing Al-Aqsa Martyrs mosque and Ibn Rushd school, which were sheltering displaced Palestinians. The Israeli strike killed 26 people and injured dozens more.
The October 7 attack brought to the surface painful memories left by millennia of hatred and violence against the Jewish people. ... I believe that history will also remember October 7 as a dark day for the Palestinian people because of the conflict that Hamas unleashed that day. Far too many civilians have suffered far too much during this year of conflict."
- Biden at a White House ceremony marking the October 7 anniversary
I am heartbroken over the scale of death and destruction in Gaza over the past year - tens of thousands of lives lost, children fleeing for safety over and over again, mothers and fathers struggling to obtain food, water, and medicine. It is far past time for a hostage and ceasefire deal to end the suffering of innocent people."
- Harris at the October 7 White House ceremony
On October 7, Israel carried out a series of more than 120 separate strikes in Lebanon. One strike killed 10 Lebanese firefighters, adding to the mounting death toll of first responders in Lebanon killed by Israel.
One year earlier, Biden clearly stated his stance on Israel.
My administrations support for Israel's security is rock solid and unwavering."
- Biden shortly after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023
After a year of Israel's relentless killing, maiming, starving and terrorizing the people of Gaza, expanding violence against Palestinians in the occupied territories of the West Bank, and launching a new war on Lebanon - and soon, perhaps, Iran - U.S. policy remains rock solid.
The post One Year of Empty Rhetoric From the White House on Israel's Wars appeared first on The Intercept.