Staff Reports
In an unexpected turn of events, a terrorist group backed by Iran attacked Israel and did a lot of damage. This made people very interested in President Biden's policies in the Middle East. Conservative critics, such as former President Donald Trump and lawmakers in the House and Senate, criticized the president right away, saying that his choices about Middle East policy had given Hamas and its main ally, Iran, more power.
The terrorist group's attack early Saturday morning took the Jewish state off guard, killing over 200 Israelis. Also, Hamas has taken many Israeli soldiers and citizens hostage in Gaza, which has made things even worse.
Still, when President Biden spoke from the White House on Saturday afternoon, he didn't answer any of the charges made against him. He instead told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would always be there for them and that Israel has the right to protect itself and its people. The president strongly denounced the terrorist attacks and reaffirmed that his administration stays committed to protecting Israel's safety.
A big point of disagreement is a deal that the Biden government made with Iran in September to trade prisoners. In exchange for the prisoners' release, the government agreed to unfreeze $6 billion in oil revenues that had been frozen because of sanctions. Concerns were raised, though, when Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that the country would give the money as needed.
As a former deputy national security adviser for the Middle East in the Trump administration, Victoria Coates said that Iran had lost resources because of the sanctions put in place by former President Donald Trump. Coates said giving Iran money and the chance to sell oil only makes their aggressive actions in the region, like attacks on Israel, worse.
Trump himself spoke out against the attacks, calling them a shame and firmly supporting Israel's right to protect itself. Even more, he said that American taxpayer money might have paid for these killings by accident, implying a link to the Biden administration.
The Biden administration, on the other hand, has called conservative charges a campaign of false information and said that none of the $6 billion has been spent. A spokeswoman for the National Security Council, Adrienne Watson, denied that the money went to Hamas and said that it was meant to help the people of Iran in need.
It's clear that President Biden's policies on the Middle East have been put to the test as the discussion goes on. Now, the focus is still on making the government answer for its actions and keeping things from getting worse.
