As Israel continues to expand its war in the Middle East, the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris continues to provide military aid and increase its military forces in the region in support of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said his country was fighting on seven fronts: Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran. Hezbollah has said it could attack Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean if it finds the island is being used as an Israeli base to attack Lebanon. A war between Iran and Israel now seems likely, and the United States may well be drawn into it.
Israel, the largest recipient of American aid
While the Biden-Harris administration has consistently called for peace in the region, it has done so by persisting in politically supporting and arming Israel. For weeks, Senator Bernie Sanders has called for the removal of military aid to Israel because it has violated international and American law. ” In my opinion, he declared, Israel should no longer receive a cent of American military aid ». But the Biden-Harris administration ignored him and other critics.
American military aid to Israel is staggering. Since its creation in 1948, according to the non-governmental organization Council on Foreign Relations “Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid, receiving approximately $310 billion (inflation-adjusted) in total economic and military aid. The United States provided Israel with considerable economic aid between 1971 and 2007, but almost all American aid today goes to supporting Israel’s military, the most advanced in the region. The United States has tentatively agreed to provide Israel with $3.8 billion annually through 2028..
Biden-Harris ignore the law
Since Israel’s war against Hamas began last October, the United States has provided approximately $30 billion in military aid to Israel. Under the Leahy Act, the United States cannot provide security assistance to foreign governments or groups that commit egregious human rights violations, but the Biden-Harris administration has simply ignored the law .
The United States itself is also present — approximately 40,000 troops were present in the region as of August, and that number continues to rise. US troops are stationed in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates, and there are also large bases in Djibouti and Turkey .
Since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas, Biden has also sent several warships to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea. These include two aircraft carrier groups, several destroyers, an amphibious landing ship and thousands of marines. The United States also deployed considerable air force resources, fighters, transport aircraft, and air tankers, as well as a few thousand additional troops. More American warplanes are on the way.
Many questions for the antiwar movement
The Palestine solidarity movement, so active on some campuses in the spring, has been repressed by university administrations, and its camps and demonstrations are banned. Pro-Palestinian professors have been fired and lecturers canceled. Parts of the Palestine solidarity movement are divided over support for Hamas. In several American cities, thousands of people joined pro-Palestinian protests on October 5, chanting slogans such as “Gaza, Lebanon, you will rise, the people are on your side”. But with the war now raging not only in Gaza but also in Lebanon, where 43% of the inhabitants are Christians and 58% Muslims (27% Shiites), many people do not support Hezbollah and even accuse it of being responsible for the war, which complicates the situation. The war with Iran will make it even more complicated. The antiwar movement has not yet taken stock of this development.
Kamala Harris met with Arab and Muslim groups in the crucial state of Michigan last week. She continues to talk about peace while Biden provides weapons. This could cost him the election and lead to the victory of Republican Donald Trump.
In La Botz, translated by Henri Wilno
