Joe Biden has decided to stop sending certain weapons to Israel because they have been used against civilians in Gaza. The American government has never sanctioned Israel in this way.
Of course, a few weeks ago, Biden assured that the United States would always be on Israel’s side. But that was before the protests on American campuses.
Since then, Biden has realized that his support among young people has declined. Not that young Democratic voters who are against Israeli policies in Gaza would suddenly switch allegiance and vote for Donald Trump. No. However, many may decide not to vote in the next election.
This is enough to tip some key states in favor of Trump, particularly in the Great Lakes region.
- Listen to international politics expert Loïc Tassé on Benoit Dutrizac’s show via QUB:
Isolation
Israel would have difficulty recovering from a conviction for genocide by the International Court of Justice. Students who demonstrated at various universities around the world see that this conviction is likely. This is one of the problems that distinguishes Israel from other disreputable states in the region.
Israeli officials may claim that Israel is a democracy, which is false for the Palestinians who live there, or that the country respects human rights, which is also false for the Palestinians, they will face a great international isolation. On the Israeli side, responsibility for this isolation will fall on those who did everything to sabotage the emergence of a Palestinian state.
Archive photo, AFP
Change of constitution?
In a way, Biden is trying in extremis to save the Israeli government from itself. Will he listen to reason?
Trump, if elected, and despite his previous very pro-Israeli policies, risks being paralyzed by American public opinion if the Court declares that Israel has committed genocide.
The days of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government are numbered. But it caused very significant damage to Israel’s image in the world. In this sense, even if the Court does not condemn Israel for genocide, it will be very difficult for the country to rebuild its reputation.
