Biden’s debate performance sparks unrest in Israel
Israelis expressed growing concern on Sunday that President Biden’s shaky debate performance could incite the country’s enemies in the Middle East at what many see as a critical time for US leadership in the region.
Israeli commentators across the political spectrum warned that Iran and its proxies could try to exploit Biden’s apparent weakness as Israel battles Hamas in Gaza and weighs the possibility of an all-out conflict with the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
U.S. officials have been working to find a diplomatic solution to tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in an effort to prevent a broader regional war that they fear could emerge in both Iran and the United States. The Biden administration is also engaged in intensive efforts along with other mediators to broker a ceasefire for Gaza, with remaining hostages there to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly pressured the Biden administration to accelerate the delivery of munitions in preparation for an eventual confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Several Israeli Sunday newspapers ran the debate on their front pages in a kind of delayed reaction: the debate took place before sunrise on Friday local time, after the weekend papers had gone to press. And Hebrew dailies do not appear on Saturday, the Sabbath.
Analysts at Israel Hayom, a right-wing newspaper, and the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper differed sharply, but both pointed out that enemies of Israel and the United States would test the government’s resolve.
“Will Hezbollah and Iran assess that Biden is now too busy to support Israel, in case an all-out war breaks out in Lebanon this summer?” Amos Harel, military affairs analyst at Haaretz, wrote on Sunday.
While some on Israel’s right mocked Mr. Biden’s debate performances in hopes of a Trump victory, Mr. Harel continued, that was a show of ingratitude after the U.S. president supported Israel and gave the country large amounts of provided weapons. “Besides,” he added, “Trump is a weak reed to rely on.”
During Thursday’s presidential debate, Trump accused Biden of not wanting Israel to do the job in Gaza, calling him weak and raising eyebrows by using the word “Palestinian” as an insult. Biden barely responded.
Biden has been a staunch supporter of Israel during the war, but he has also been critical, frequently calling on Israel to limit civilian casualties and work to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.
He has a long history with Mr. Netanyahu. Mr. Biden flew to Israel last fall in a powerful show of solidarity, shortly after the Hamas-led terrorist attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. He has since paid a political price for his support, angering American opponents of the war, who want the U.S. government to stop supplying Israel with munitions.
But the views of Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu have diverged in recent months. The U.S. administration has blocked a shipment of high-powered bombs to Israel, fearing they would be used in populated areas. And Mr. Biden has dismissed Mr. Netanyahu’s oft-stated goal of “total victory” over Hamas as a vague objective that would trigger an indefinite war.
Mr. Trump strongly supported Israel as president and largely went along with Mr. Netanyahu and his right-wing allies. During his term, Mr. Trump moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, fulfilling a long-standing Israeli demand.
But the former president appears to have worn down Mr. Netanyahu. He has said the Hamas-led attack was the result of Mr Netanyahu’s poor preparation and praised Hezbollah as “very smart”. In a interview In March, on Israel Hayom, Mr. Trump advised Israel to end the war in Gaza, saying the country was losing much of the world’s support.
“You must do it,” he told the newspaper, “and we must make peace. We cannot tolerate this any longer.”
The publisher of Israel Hayom is Dr. Miriam Adelson, the widow of Sheldon Adelson, and a staunch pro-Israel megadonor who is now backing Donald Trump’s third bid for the White House.
Amnon Lord, a columnist for Israel Hayom, claimed on Sunday that Biden’s performance in the debate was evidence of persistent claims that “an extremely progressive group” of aides was the driving force behind US foreign policy.
“In a world full of aggressive forces,” he says wrote“The unflattering image of an American president – the leader of the free world – who appears weak and incoherent encourages them to seize opportunities.”
“Biden’s decline reflects the collapse of his Middle East policy towards Iran and its allies,” Mr Lord added.
Mr. Lord skirted around Mr. Trump’s performance in the debate, saying only that he, too, “didn’t gain any supporters.”
Yediot Ahronot, a mainstream Hebrew daily, flagged a front-page column describing Mr. Biden’s performance as a “catastrophe.” The columnist Nadav Eyal wrote that, faced with the prospect of a new Trump presidency, Democrats and their allies carried the fate of the free world on their shoulders.
“Weakness is in no way a characteristic that an American president can project,” he says wrote.
Gabby Sobelman And Myra Noveck reporting contributed.
