Although Biden (and now Harris) have proclaimed an ironclad commitment to Israel’s well-being, they’re acting very wonky about Israel’s behavior. First they withheld 2000-pound bombs from Israel (you know, the kind that were used on the targeted strike that killed the leader of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah), though the U.S. rations some of these bombs to Israel.
But now the U.S. is trying to tell Israel how to run a war that is an existential thread to Israel’s existence, for the tiny Jewish nation is fighting on seven fronts at once (Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and the West Bank). But the U.S. has been trying to control how Israel responded to Hamas’s October 7 attack from the very beginning. First Biden told Israel not to invade Gaza. When they did, Biden told Israel not to go into Gaza City. When they did, Biden told Israel not to go into Khan Younis. When they did, Biden told Israel in no uncertain terms not to go into Rafah, for that was “crossing a red line.” Kamala Harris backed up Bided then, asserting that she had “studied the maps.” Israel did go into Rafah and got some hostages, along the way destroying much of Hamas’s military capabilities. All the while Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was waffling, especially about negotiations, for he is the lever Biden uses to try to push Israel in his direction. Had the U.S. followed Biden’s wishes, then, Hamas would still be in control of Gaza, and the dangers of another October 7 would remain.
Now that Israel has made pretty short work of Gaza—granted, I don’t know what will happen “the day after”—and Israel is engaged with both Hezbollah and Iran, Biden is still trying to control Israel, telling the country not to do this and not to do that in response to the Iranian ballistic missile attack. “This” is “not going after Iran’s nukes”, and “that” is not going after Iran’s oil and gas fields. The former could possibly scuttle Iran’s nuclear program, while the latter would eliminate Iran’s major domestic source of income. (If I had my way, I’d say “get the nukes,” hard as that may be, for if Israel doesn’t do that, the country is doomed.)
The article from the Times of Israel below just reprises what I said, and what we know, about Biden’s response to Iran’s attack, and the headline tells the tale (click on it to read):
An excerpt:
US President Joe Biden says Israel has not yet decided how it’s going to respond to Iran’s ballistic missile strike.
“If I were in their shoes, I’d be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields,” Biden says during a rare appearance at the White House daily press briefing where one reporter after another asks leading questions goading him to criticize Israel.
Earlier this week, Biden said he opposed Israel targeting Iranian nuclear sites as well.
Asked whether he thinks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is rejecting diplomatic agreements in Gaza and Lebanon to influence the upcoming presidential election, Biden responds, “No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None, none, none, and I think Bibi should remember that.
“As for whether he’s trying to influence the election or I don’t know, but I’m not counting on that,” Biden adds.
Biden says he assumes he will speak to Netanyahu when Israel decides on how it wants to respond to Iran.
Another reporter suggests Biden does not influence Israel. The president rejects the premise, saying he receives regular briefings and that his team is in constant contact with their Israeli counterparts.
“It’s the High Holidays… They’re not going to make a decision immediately. And so, we’re going to wait to see when they want to talk,” he adds.
Pressed again on how Israel should respond to Iran, Biden declines to offer further details. “That’s between me and them.”
Asked if he’s considering imposing sanctions against Iran, the president says the matter is under discussion.
Another reporter asks if there is anything the US can do to prevent an all-out war in the Middle East.
“There’s a lot we are doing. The main thing we can do is try to rally the rest of the world, our allies into participating — like the French are in Lebanon and other places — to tamp this down, but when you have proxies as irrational as Hezbollah and the Houthis and it’s a hard thing to determine,” Biden says.
No attacks on oil facilities, no attacks on bomb-building or uranium-enrichment sites. So what does Biden want Israel to do? All the progress Israel has made in defeating its enemies has involved ignoring Biden’s advice and “orders.” And if Biden really wants to tamp down the war, he should just let Israel respond the way it wants. (Remember none of these seven wars were started by Israel.) Why is he waffling so much, and trying to order Israel how to behave?
Well, there’s the election of course, for an Israeli attack on Iranian oil may drive up the price of gas at the American pump, and the U.S. would blame that on Biden. As for the attack on nukes, Biden may be considering the Muslim vote, for while there are more Jews than Muslims in America, the Muslims tend to live in swing states.
But Malgorzata has another credible theory, which is hers. In her view, Biden is determined to carry on the legacy of Obama, who was strongly invested in “balancing” the Middle East, believing that peace would obtain if the power of Shiite states (e.g., Iran) remained appreciable compared to the power of Sunni states. To maintain this balance of power, then, Obama favored a strong Iran, and that meant largely ignoring Iran’s progressing nuclear program while refusing to put sanctions on Iran. (Trump did put sanctions on Iran, but Biden removed them upon taking office). Biden has continued Obama’s Middle East strategy since taking office.
So there we have a couple of speculations about why Biden is telling Israel not to retaliate against Iran by going after either oil or nukes. Of course we don’t know what Biden is really thinking, but what is clear is that Biden is constantly trying to stop Israel from retaliating against attacks from Iran and Gaza, and also asking for a very limited response in Lebanon. Biden’s “orders” are, in effect, orders to Israel to stop retaliating and, in the end, lose these wars, remaining perpetually subject to Islamist terrorism. Biden sure wouldn’t behave that way if, say, Canada started attacking the U.S. with ballistic missiles.
There is no doubt in my mind that Harris will continue to pressure Israel if she’s elected, except she’ll put the screws on tighter than did Biden. Apparently the election is a big factor in BIden’s foreign policy towards Israel, and he may have forgotten that most Israelis regard themselves as being in a war for the existence of their country. It’s 1948 all over again.
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Oh, I almost forgot. Since I get flak from both sides, here’s a comment that came in yesterday from a peeved reader who doesn’t like me dissing Trump. The reader’s handle on his attempted comment was “Robert Peters,” and his attempted comment (posted here but not at the site) was meant to address this post: “An anonymous post at the Elder of Ziyon site: The Harris/Walz’s (and Biden/Harris’s) abysmal record on Israel, Jews, and the war.” The comment:
Your contention that Trump is mentally ill is utter nonsense and diminishes everything else you have to say.
This made me laugh, because first of all, it seems likely to me that Trump really is mentally ill, at least with a diagnosable pattern of symptoms that fit into narcissistic personality disorder:
Narcissistic personality disorder involves a pattern of self-centered, arrogant thinking and behavior, a lack of empathy and consideration for other people, and an excessive need for admiration. Others often describe people with NPD as cocky, manipulative, selfish, patronizing, and demanding. This way of thinking and behaving surfaces in every area of the narcissist’s life: from work and friendships to family and love relationships.
People with narcissistic personality disorder are extremely resistant to changing their behavior, even when it’s causing them problems. Their tendency is to turn the blame on to others. What’s more, they are extremely sensitive and react badly to even the slightest criticisms, disagreements, or perceived slights, which they view as personal attacks. For the people in the narcissist’s life, it’s often easier just to go along with their demands to avoid the coldness and rages.
That seems to describe Trump pretty well. Of course I’m not a shrink, and everybody is some sort of mental outlier, but I think my view is reasonable. But beyond that, Mr. Peters is showing his own misguided petulance, saying that because I made one statement about Trump that he dislikes (he seems to be a Trump lover), it therefore “diminishes everything else I have to say.” Peters, in other words, is being irrational, showing the tendency of many to dismiss everything coming from a person—or a source—that has made one offensive statement. Too bad for him.
h/t: Norm
Remember Biden has a coalition to keep hold of and Arab allies.
And voters. There’s a limit to how much he can publicly back the kind of maximalist Israeli doctrines that, say, I can.
That coalition is working. Can you imagine even 20 years ago Saudi Arabia helping interdict Iranian weapons on the way to Israel? The Abraham Accords?
This Iran isolating co-alition is the big picture, only after Israel’s survival in importance. In fact Israel’s survival hinges in part on that coallition holding.
Which is not in doubt and operates independently to the rantings and both sideism of the W.H.
When it comes to bombs and stuff sent to Israel or not – it is a non-issue. “We won’t send you xxx stuff….” makes Biden LOOK more moderate w/o alienating too many people and the IDF know the difference is only a small % of their inventory.
Cosmetic.
Biden has given more assistance, in every way including personal visits, than ANY other American president including Nixon and Reagan (who never even visited).
Harris however….
D.A.
NYC
I’m no shrink either, but feel confident that the definition of narcissistic personality disorder you gave above fits Trump perfectly. He’s an odious man.
I’m no fan of Harris either, but I think she could possibly be persuaded into more rational thinking, whereas he certainly won’t.
The USA needs to pick the ‘least worst’ candidate.
Why? If we keep picking between seriously flawed candidates we will keep getting seriously flawed government. A stand for a better future may require thinking beyond the candidates offered by the red and blue teams. And, unless we are swing state voters, our votes for president don’t likely matter so we have a guilt-free option to vote for a better candidate. Throw a rock in any direction and you are apt to hit one.
You don’t have to vote for either, or anyone of course. It was just my view from the other side of the Atlantic. I just felt that Harris might be more open to international pressure to change, whereas Trump’s narcissistic personality disorder means he’s unlikely to change.
I understand the hard choice. In the recent UK election I decided to spoil my ballot as the main parties are all awful, but at the last minute I found an independent candidate who had decent policies, even though he had no hope winning, so I voted for him.
The lesser of two evils is still evil.
Yes, Trump is odious. That doesn’t make Harris a good choice. Until both major parties start getting their noses bloodied at the ballot box, nothing will change.
Vote third party.
The lesser of two evils is, um, less evil. To me, given our two party system, that is a win. More importantly, Harris is decidedly NOT evil. She has a history of public service, respects the outcomes of elections, complies with federal and state laws (as far as I know) and treats people with respect and dignity. She is also open to changing her mind and positions and has clearly done so from her first presidential campaign. I may not align with her on everything, but on what matters most–her oath of office–it isn’t even close. Trump is an existential threat and someone who is demonstrably ignorant, corrupt and completely self-serving. That is a recipe for entrenched evil in our nation’s highest office. Harris/Walz have my vote.
+1
Well said, Keith.
It’s very rare that all the candidates are equally evil. It still doesn’t mean you have to vote for one. I just prefer to use my vote, even to spoil it, as the suffragettes worked hard to get it for us.
Of course a lot of people voted for Keir Starmer as the lesser of two evils, but confidence in him has already plummeted dramatically. Sometimes life really is like a box of chocolates and you don’t know what you’re gonna get.
Whether he is motivated by the election, or whether he is guided by what Anne Applebaum calls in her latest book* the “euphemism” of “de-escalation,” Biden seems to be afraid to allow Israel to unleash the force it takes to win. He would be well advised to listen to Bari Weiss’s interview** of Douglas Murray, where Murray reminds people that war is something that one must win.
There seems to be a parallel with Russia’s war in Ukraine (although there are many differences). Biden is willing to allow the aggrieved party (Israel or Ukraine) to fight up to a point—and is even willing to provide arms and support. But he doesn’t provide enough of either to allow either country to win. He seems to be battling for stalemates. Whatever strategy he might articulate (and David Anderson, above, may very well be right), it seems that Biden is fundamentally timid and risk averse—sometimes to the detriment of the nations that he purportedly supports.
*Autocracy, Inc. https://www.amazon.com/Autocracy-Inc-Dictators-Want-World/dp/0385549938
** https://youtu.be/kY3luFEvjIY?si=IA_QPLYsIbcg65Fm
Thanks Norman. He IS very risk averse. Which is kind of why we elected him. hahaha We’d had enough recklessness for awhile.
It is often hard to distinguish being too risk averse, too squishy, for hewing a middle course. Often they’re the same thing.
best,
D.A.
NYC
The problem with this approach is that Biden is making a broader conflict more likely. If he gave Ukraine what it needs to win, enough materiel and no restrictions on where they use it, Putin would never again be a risk to Europe. By letting Ukrainians die rather than stopping Russian imperialism, he’s demonstrating to Putin and the Chinese Communist Party that we won’t actually try to stop them.
We can pay money now or blood later.
Yes, despite his nice (and empty) talk, he is offering Ukraine and all Europe to Putin on a silver platter, not unlike Trump.
+ 1. It seems that Ukraine will pay for the mistake to trust the USA and disarm at its bidding (the Budapest memorandum) with its very existence.
I guess that as I have said before on this site: I do not worry too much regarding what Biden or Blinken say, as long as Israel has the weapons it needs when it needs them to carry out its war plans. So far that seems to be the case. I watch results rather than spend time trying to analyze bluster.
And, yeah, tRUMP is nuts relative to any desirable human and social behaviors that I was raised to expect.
I really enjoy the posts and articles about evolution and natural history!
Campaign advisor Blinken orchestrated the letter from “51 intelligence officials” declaring the Hunter Biden laptop looked like Russian misinformation, leading to the suspension of NY Post from Twitter and a talking point for Biden in one of the 2020 debates, though the FBI had verified it. Why would Hamas or Israel trust Blinken?
https://judiciary.house.gov/media/in-the-news/biden-campaign-blinken-orchestrated-intel-letter-discredit-hunter-biden-laptop
Personality disorders are not really considered to be mental illnesses. (They are bad, not mad, was the aphorism we learned. Moral imbeciles was another.) Of course, today everything is considered a diagnosis so psychiatrists can bill insurance companies using a DSM diagnosis when they happen to see someone with a PD.* But since PDs are common among successful people who are nonetheless able to function in social and personal relationships, it seems to be excessively medicalizing what is clearly normal behaviour (even if it is objectionable and disqualifying for certain jobs) to call Donald Trump, or any other person who seems to have a PD, mentally ill. He may be totally unsuited for public office by nature of character and temperament but he is (probably) not crazy. Resistance to being persuaded by what someone else considers to be unassailable facts does not make one crazy. (We’re probably all crazy by that definition.)
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* Here’s how it might work. A person is browbeaten into seeing a psychiatrist because people close to him don’t like his behaviour. “Am I crazy?” the person asks at the conclusion of the assessment. “No,” says the shrink. “You just have a psychopathic personality disorder. There is no treatment for this. It’s just who you are.” In billing the person’s insurance company, the psychiatrist has to put a diagnosis on the claim. Since there is a list of PDs in the DSM, the psychiatrist can pick psychopathic PD and thus get paid. Homosexuality used to be in the DSM, so you could “diagnose” homosexuality. You can’t anymore because it’s gone.
There is a similar ideological conflict going on now as to whether “gender dysphoria” is a real mental disorder. Or is it just society’s bigoted intolerance of gender diversity (and of men playing women’s sport) that makes trans people distressed with their bodies? The catch is that if gender diversity is normal, why do doctors get paid by third parties for treating a non-disease with drugs and surgery?
Your intelligent and thought provoking posts are always fun to read. I usually come away with a new idea or perspective on the issue. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, questions, and conclusions.
I am not sure what yu mean by “crazy”, but narcissistic personality disorder is definitely listed in the DSM. It renders Trump unfit for office and normal human relationships (look how he bullies his colleagues) And there are ways to treat it, though PDs are pretty recalcitrant to cure.
I am not sure what you are objecting to. I gave Trump a diagnosis that is recognized as a form of mental disorder by psychiatrists. You may disagree, but I disagree with you. I note that you say he is PROBABLY not crazy, so even you are leaving room for that. And, of course, I presume, since you are still reading here, that my saying Trump has a NPD does not invalidate everything I say!
I support Israel’s right to defend itself and punish its enemies, but I don’t see why these wars – especially the initial one in Gaza – are described as “existential threats” such that Israel must win or substantially cease to exist. Really, on an annualized basis, what proportion of Israel’s population is actually killed or maimed by this terrorism? A few dozen? It seems to be minuscule, and given that Israel just celebrated significant population growth again (and among Jews specifically), it seems that even when Gazan terrorism is at its worst it has no real effect on Israel’s existence. Hezbollah’s rockets and Iran’s missiles, too, have done little actual damage.
In short, I’ve got nothing Israel’s wars (except insofar as America and Europe have to pay the price), and surely it’s better not to “turn the other cheek” when faced with a real enemy, but trying to justify them as necessary for their survival seems extremely exaggerated at best.
Adam:
The existential threat thing comes from 1300 years (see Koran) of anti-semitism, that 1300 years of various pogroms throughout the Arab world before Israel as a state was even dreamed of.
Since 1948 the constant, loud and unified calls in English and louder in Arabic to throw the Jews into the sea – with wars and violence and terrorism to back these ideas up…. these things comprise the existential threat Israel feels.
It is unique in the world.
As is “Palestine”. NO other country, ever, has been FOUNDED on the idea of destruction of another state.
My column talks about this: https://democracychronicles.org/author/david-anderson/
but Sam Harris’ various lectures hit the nail on the head better than I could. And they’re the best value for time/money/thought to get a grip on a situation that is utterly different to what we see in the west.
best regards,
D.A.
NYC
Sure, Hamas wants to destroy Israel, I agree, but were they? Can they? I see no evidence of that. Israel’s existence is not threatened by Hamas. Its honor is. Its dignity is. And the very few Israelis who are killed by each year, on average, by Palestinian terrorists are still lives tragically and unnecessarily lost. And if Israel wants to hit them back after these insults, that’s fine. But I don’t think they should pretend that it’s necessary to secure their very existence. Objectively speaking, the flu is probably a greater threat.
Umm. . . Hamas is a proxy for Iran, as is Yemen, Syria, Hezbollah, and Iran. Together they (and certainly Iran, which will get nuclear weapons) constitute an existential threat to Israel. So I gather you do not think Israel should strike back at Hamas or Lebanon or Iran, since not many people were killed. The word pretend is insulting to Israelis, too.
How many Israelis have died of the flu since October 7, including deaaths from Hamas and Hezbollah since then. Do you know? IF you”re wrong, please correct yourself on this site. My own Googling suggest about 600 per year–about half of those killed on October 7.
“… the very few Israelis who are killed by each year, on average, by Palestinian terrorists…”
Hamas murdered ~ 900 Jews on October 7th. That is the equivalent population of 44,000 Americans.
Since 1920, the number of Jews slaughtered by terrorist attacks is six times higher than that.
Such attacks do not occur every year. (And even if they did it wouldn’t be enough.) What is the twenty-year average death rate from terrorism? I’ll note that Israel just reported substantial Jewish population growth this past year despite suffering one of the worst attacks ever. I think that’s evidence enough that such attacks – let alone the far lower yearly average – aren’t going to exterminate Israel.
Hou made a statement about flu. It was wrong. Instead of saing you are wrong, you continue the same argument. I sasked for a correction. Also, you dont seem to realize that Isreal is fighting on seven frongs, including Iran, and that has not happened–every.
I guess you think that Israel should just siet there and absorb the terrorism without responding, which I see as obtuse and misleading.
Let us end this discussion.
In the UK, the number of people killed in racist attacks each year is never much into double figures, so according to you, we should ignore the issue of racist violence, even if it ends in murder, because only a few people die each year…
“according to you, we should ignore the issue of racist violence, even if it ends in murder, because only a few people die each year”
I don’t understand where these claims come from, because that’s the opposite of what I’ve said.
Mary Trump, T’s own niece, is a psychologist and has said repeatedly that he has narcissistic personality disorder, as well as specific manifestations of mental illness. She may not have treated him in her office, but she has a lifetime of being in that family and observing him.
As the leader of the Free World, Biden is a complete failure. He doesn’t seem to understand that Ukraine and Israel are not only facing a very real existencial threat, they’re are just the beginning.
I agree (not an American so I’m not voting). It’s unfortunate that the Republicans chose Trump.
On the other hand, everything I’ve read about Harris suggests she’ll be as bad as Biden, if not worse.
Add Macron to Biden and Harris.
Useless.
Macron appeased Putin too before Feb 2022.
I think Shakespeare, in Hamlet, had a lot of important and interesting things to say about Hamlet’s behavior, which has rubbed off on Biden. There’s no such thing as “moderation” war, or “party winning a war”. Biden’s timorous and purely subjective opinions will, whatever happens, be responsible for thousands of deaths that could have been prevented. Whatever he believes, Russia has deviated from all norms of international relations and conflict, with crimes against humanity. Biden doesnt seem to have any moral judgment whatsoever about this.He is conflicted and cant act positively. Like Hamlet.
https://twitter.com/guardianweekly/status/1835261561986015299
Donald Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, has once again published a book. 📚
She is a psychologist. 👩⚕
Gonna get technical, and say that whilst personality disorders are in the DSM, they do not constitute mental illness. When it is the way you are, not an illness from which you may be healed. it is a diagnosis but not a disease. Nonetheless, no argument with your diagnosis of Trump!
Maybe Biden/Harris words to Israel are a code? To decode the message, just reverse the meaning! Decoding the most recent messages would yield, “go ahead and bomb oil facilities, and expecially go after the nukes, if you can!”
To me, it’s undeniable that Trump fulfills the criteria for NPD. The question, as he ages, is will he be a better POTUS than Harris? I am naturally more agreeable with more of his policy ideas than Harris’s, but can he implement them? Can he attract qualified people to staff his administration, at least for more than brief periods? It’s all very depressing. I’ve concluded that it may not matter who is POTUS. The aircraft carrier, which is the government bureaucratic state, will keep steaming. I mean it’s steaming now without a functional President. Let’s just train a POTUS AI and stop putting ourselves through this misery every 4 years.
Background:
77 yo who has always voted Republican. Retired MD. Lately obtained JD.
Here is the honest to God truth: I appreciate your blog tremendously. A source that analyzes logically is hard to find. The lack of bias is refreshing. I would have no way of knowing the extent that ideology is affecting the sciences. I knew it was there, but the extent, the cleansing of scientific names to avoid oppression, and so on, most of my friends have no idea, and frankly when I tell them they don’t seem to care. McCarthyism is back, and it is the “woke” that are searching out non-believers and cancelling them out. Astounding.
Anyway – thanks.