Is Joe Biden against Israel? Obama supported Jewish state but president faces resistance from far-left Democrats
President Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure from both progressive Democrats and conservative Republicans to solidify his stance on Israel as civilians are getting killed in its ongoing unrest with Hamas. A faction of far-left Congress members led by Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) is pushing for the Biden administration to halt its $732 million arms sale to Israel. On the other hand, GOP leaders such as Texas Sen Ted Cruz and former President Donald J Trump have accused Biden of lacking the "backbone" to support a longtime ally.
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The outrage comes at the heels of the worst violence seen in the Gaza strip since 2014. Biden has pushed Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a de-escalation "on the path to a ceasefire," something that did not sit well with many Republicans who are still acclimatizing to the political climate in Washington DC in a post-Trump era. While Biden's policy towards Israel may be at odds with that of his predecessor, they could also be compared to that of his former boss, President Barack Obama, who became rather famous for his strong commitment to the Jewish state for the most part of his tenure.
Obama stood with Israel in times of crisis
The 44th POTUS had made it clear that his commitment to Israel always would be unshakeable. “It would be a moral failing on my part if we did not stand up firmly, steadfastly not just on behalf of Israel’s right to exist, but its right to thrive and prosper,” he once stated while speaking at Adas Israel, a synagogue in Washington, D.C.
Across his two terms from 2008 to 2016, Obama ensured that Israel was the top recipient of US foreign military financing. In fact, his administration requested $3.1 billion in funding for the fiscal year 2016. Under his leadership, the two nations also worked on a long-term package that would provide up to $45 billion in security assistance grant aid through 2028. In exchange, Israel signed a $3 billion contract with the US for the purchase of 14 F-35 fighter jets.
Overall, Israel received more than $20 billion in foreign military financing during Obama's tenure in the White House. He became the first president to approve the sale of bunker-buster bombs to Israel, unlike George W Bush, who rejected the embattled nation's request. In 2012, the US and Israel organized Austere Challenge 12, the largest joint military exercise ever to be held between the two countries, according to Greg Rosenbaum, Chair of the National Jewish Democratic Council.
Rosenbaum noted in an op-ed for Haaretz how Bush had given a cold response to Israel's Iron Dome system. In stark contrast, Obama led the way in funding and supporting the research, development, and production of the state-of-the-art missile defense system (including the joint US-Israel missile defense systems David’s Sling, the Arrow II, and Arrow III) - which has been crucial in helping the Jewish state defend itself against "terrorist rocket attacks" like the ones recently launched by Hamas. Furthermore, the US provided Israel with more than $1.3 billion for the Iron Dome system alone from 2011 to 2016.
“The security ties between us and the current administration are at the highest level they have ever been," Israel's former Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a 2012 speech to the Israel National Defense College.
When it came to international politics, Obama ensured that Israel was granted full participation in the United Nations. He voted several against resolutions led by adversaries in the General Assembly condemning Israel and worked with the Assembly to host its first-ever session on anti-Semitism. Meanwhile, Obama also prevented Palestinians from declaring an independent state.
The United States continued to support the Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation, or BIRD, under Obama. BIRD facilitates US-Israel cooperation in areas like agriculture, health care, and homeland security. The joint effort facilitated nearly $50 million in US-Israel cooperation at the time.
"Obama has been unfailing in supporting Israel’s right to exist and defend itself against its enemies and has been a phone call away when Israel needed assistance in times of crisis," Rosenbaum wrote, noting how he took a personal interest in helping to avoid a catastrophe when a violent mob attacked Israel’s embassy in Cairo and even stepped in to contain a major forest fire on Mount Carmel in 2010.
When compared with Obama, several presidents from the opposite side of the political aisle have a rather mixed record when it came to standing with Israel. As previously mentioned, George W Bush refused to back Israel in building its Iron Dome or sell bunker-buster bombs. In 2005, he froze nearly all joint defense projects between the two allies. Before him, President Ronald Reagan joined a Security Council resolution condemning Israel for its destruction of Iraq’s Osirak nuclear facility. He also undermined the Jewish state's military edge by selling AWACS surveillance planes to Saudi Arabia, despite strong objections. President Dwight Eisenhower also threatened to isolate Israel during the Suez War.
Of course, Trump came in as a political outsider who did not necessarily conform to the party line. His support of Israel has been well documented, but it's Obama's commitment to the safety and security of Israel which seems to have been glossed over amid the backlash his ex-vice president is facing today.
In the end, however, Obama turned his back
As Obama exited the White House in 2016, he arguably turned his back on Israel before closing the door. In a shocking diplomatic rebuke of the Jewish state, he followed in the footsteps of Bush and abstained from another controversial United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory, allowing it to make it through the chamber.
The move came at odds with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had strongly argued against it, and then-President-elect Trump, who had pushed for vetoing the measure, which demanded that Israel “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem,” and declared that the settlements by Israel had “no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law.”