National Review Online
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
By allowing the United Nations Security Council
to pass a resolution demanding an “immediate ceasefire”
in Gaza while Hamas remains in power and still holds 130 hostages, the Biden
administration has shamefully betrayed a key ally while empowering a terrorist
group committed to its destruction.
President Biden has been getting increasingly bellicose
in his rhetoric against Israel in recent weeks, particularly when it comes to
Israeli plans to finish the job against Hamas by invading Rafah in southern
Gaza. Over the weekend, the administration dispatched Vice President Kamala
Harris to ABC to again chastise the planned Israeli offensive, claiming,
laughably, that she had “studied the maps” and decided that Israel’s plan to
evacuate civilians from the area wasn’t feasible.
Up until this point, however, despite criticisms, the
Biden administration has been willing to use the U.S. veto at the U.N. Security
Council to shoot down any cease-fire resolutions. On Monday, the
administration abandoned that policy. Instead of standing up against
international bullies, the U.S. abstained, allowing a despicable resolution to
pass.
The move was an escalation in the emerging diplomatic
crisis between the Biden administration and Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has now called off a planned Israeli delegation to the White House
that was supposed to discuss the Rafah operation.
Over the course of months, Israel has annihilated Hamas
in the northern part of Gaza, but what remains of the terror group — as well as
the hostages — are believed to be in southern Gaza, near the border with Egypt.
The text of the resolution “demands an immediate
ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a
lasting sustainable ceasefire,” which in effect would mean leaving Hamas in
power and allowing it to rebuild so it can carry out more attacks against
Israel. The resolution makes no mention of the October 7 massacres, and while
it “also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” it
does not make the cease-fire conditional on their release.
As a result of this resolution, Hamas has very little
incentive to agree to release the remaining hostages, including Americans, as
part of any cease-fire agreement — as it knows that the international
community, with the tacit approval of the U.S., is now demanding that Israel
lay down its arms regardless of the hostages’ fate.
Israeli polls show overwhelming support for finishing off
Hamas in Rafah, which is a strategic necessity. That means the IDF will have to
go in — and that would be true even if somebody other than Netanyahu were prime
minister. Given Biden’s increasing hostility toward Israel, the question is how
far he is willing to go when the operation commences. Harris said the
administration wouldn’t rule out “consequences” for Israel, and Biden has
previously signaled a willingness to cut off some aid or at least to
condition aid.
Israelis are less than six months removed from the worst
massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, a massacre that Hamas leaders have vowed
to repeat over and over again until Israel no longer exists. It
is the solemn responsibility of Israeli leaders to do whatever it takes to make
sure that Hamas is never able to follow through on its threats. As it pursues
this national imperative, Israel should be able to count on unwavering U.S.
support. Unfortunately, thanks to Biden, Israel will have to contemplate the
reality that it is now alone.
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