Staff Reports
The first anniversary of the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel came and went, but don’t expect President Joe Biden to mend fences with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu anytime soon. In fact, the two haven’t exchanged a single word since August 21. The ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza has intensified and even dragged in Hezbollah from Lebanon, prompting Israel to strike targets in southern Beirut and northern Gaza over the weekend. Apparently, diplomatic relations are on the back burner while the fireworks are lighting up the skies.
In a twist that would make a soap opera scriptwriter blush, Biden called Israeli President Isaac Herzog instead of Netanyahu, claiming that Herzog was the appropriate contact to express condolences for the tragedy. Biden’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, insisted this was a meaningful conversation. To many, it looked more like a careful sidestep, allowing Biden to distance himself from a prime minister who has been a frequent target of criticism. If this keeps up, the only relationship getting a summer block party will be Biden and Herzog, while Netanyahu is left at the kiddie table.
I wrote this exactly 1 year ago on Biden/Harrris's 0⃣response to our Ally Israel 🇮🇱
Hamas murdered, kidnapped; while burning baby's as they raped their mothers all live streamed on body cameras, while taking 1200 hostages many U.S Citizens that have mostly died by now.… pic.twitter.com/zBIP0Hk7ET
— Greta_USA (@DEI_Greta) October 8, 2024
Critics of both Netanyahu and Biden are having a field day. While Netanyahu’s detractors argue he is complicating any splits in the violence, Biden’s naysayers say he has already lost the political clout needed to influence anything—even the direction of a paper plane, let alone a conflict in the Middle East. Jean-Pierre hinted that a call between the two leaders would happen shortly, but it’s starting to feel like waiting for existence of Bigfoot—or even worse, the long-anticipated bipartisan agreement on anything in Congress.
She continued to stress the history between Biden and Netanyahu. They’ve reportedly spoken more than a dozen times in the past year alone, but you have to wonder if those conversations were filled with meaningful dialogue or just awkward pauses and shuffling feet. With Biden’s administration claiming to communicate on an almost daily basis with the Israeli government, one wonders if they are exchanging recipes rather than strategies for peace.
While memorials unfolded in Israel, with citizens mourning and reflecting on the past year, Biden participated in a candle lighting ceremony at the White House. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris and her Jewish husband, Doug Emhoff, got into the spirit of remembrance by planting a pomegranate tree on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory. All of this while Netanyahu was beseeching the nation to brace for ongoing assaults from multiple fronts. It seems that for this administration, commemoration might trump actual conflict resolution, leaving Israel to fend for itself while Biden and crew focus on their tree-hugging moments.
