Dr. Bushra Batool
The rock-solid and unwavering support of the US to Israel is unequivocal but the scenario is changing. After more than 5 months of deadly Israeli strikes in Gaza, polarization in the American people, even the Jews, can be clearly seen and the support they used to extend to Biden is not the same anymore. Tensions between Netanyahu and top Democratic leaders in the U.S. are also escalating amid a growing and deadly war in the Middle East that began after the Hamas attack on Israelis on October 7. The Majority Leader of the United States Senate, Chuck Schumer, on 17th March, chastised Netanyahu and called for a new election in Israel and in his speech, categorically branded Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu as a major impediment to peace in the Middle East. It is important to note that Schuman is the highest-ranking Jewish official in the US from the Democratic Party. At this point, making such a statement could prove to be risky for his political career.
“This may hurt me politically; this may help me politically.’ I couldn’t look myself in the mirror if I didn’t do it”- Chuck Schumer
Such comments being a Jew can be well understood in light of the fact that he was brought up in Jewish Brooklyn in the shadow of the Holocaust and the situation in Gaza today is no less than that.
The internal political chaos in the US is unfolding with each passing day. Amid mounting criticism from Democrats of Israel’s war in Gaza, congressional Republicans are seeking to amplify their party’s unconditional loyalty to the Jewish state, in contrast with the party that has long attracted the most Jewish voters.
This is especially important and going to mark a change due to the fact that the US is going to hold national elections by the end of this year and Israel is definitely a hard nut to crack in the agenda of political parties. Former US president Donald Trump said in a recent interview that American Jews who vote for Democrats “hate” their religion, which he referred to the Democrats’ growing criticism of Netanyahu’s war in Gaza. This statement of Trump met a mixed reaction from both Democrats and some Republicans who expressed disgust at Trump’s remarks, which they said played on anti-Semitic tropes.
Jewish American voters have long been seen as a reliable voting bloc for the Democratic Party. The Pew Research Center dubbed such Jewish American community as “among the most consistently liberal and Democratic groups in the US population”. During the last presidential election cycle, eight out of 10 Jewish people identified as Democratic. But US policy towards Israel and the war in Gaza has since divided Jewish Americans, as well as the broader Democratic base, leading to fears of a depressed turnout. As Israel’s war in Gaza continues to rage, Jewish American voters, such as Kornberg who is a member of the progressive organization Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), are grappling with the US’s role in the conflict and how it will affect their voting preferences in the upcoming presidential election. Kornberg is among those protesting Biden’s stance on the war in Gaza, where United Nations experts have warned of the risk of genocide and famine.
Surveys have shown foreign policy to be a top issue for voters this year, with a majority of Americans backing a ceasefire in Gaza, something Biden has refused to call for. That stance, however, has provoked an outcry among more progressive Jewish organizations, as the death toll in the Palestinian enclave soars past 32,000 deaths. Despite the popularity Biden used to enjoy over Trump, a January poll from USA Today and Suffolk University showed narrow margins separating Biden from his chief Republican rival, former President Donald Trump. Biden received 37 percent support in the poll, compared with Trump’s 39. The pressure on the Biden administration is real. Not only Americans but a number of European countries and Middle Eastern countries are condemning Biden for sponsoring Israel’s aggression in the Gaza strip. Simon Moutquin, a Belgian Member of Parliament (MP) said:
“As a signatory country of the Convention against Genocide, [Belgium has] a legal and moral obligation to act and prevent the risk of genocide, so I think this letter … is a good first step, but we need to go further” – Simon Moutquin
He further added that the European division on Gaza would risk its credibility to speak on Russia’s actions in Ukraine if it remained silent on Gaza.
The US seems to be at odds as far as its support to Israel’s war against Hamas and the atrocities in Gaza are concerned vis a vis the response of the international community and the community at home is concerned. In a recent meeting of Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in Jeddah, the Secretary underscored the importance of urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza. This seems to have rerouted the US policy towards Israel and it seems that the US has toughened its stance. For the very first time in all these five months, the US came up proposing the ‘ceasefire’ in the UN for Gaza which reflected a sharp deviation from its previous stance when for the third time in February the US vetoed any resolution calling for the truce. Although the draft resolution received a majority of votes in favor, however, China and Russia, two of the Security Council’s permanent members vetoed it.
The use of words like “imperative… (for) an immediate and sustained ceasefire to protect civilians” sparked opposition from Russia and China mentioning it ambiguous statement that does not categorically oppose Israel’s aggression and demands a ceasefire.
Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the US considered that that resolution would result in the destruction of entire Gaza and all of its population and also hinted about another resolution being prepared by the non-permanent members of the Security Council.
Chinese UN ambassador, Zhang Jun, while criticizing the US proposal said that there is an ambiguity in the draft of the resolution and that the US does not clearly oppose Israel’s planned military operations in Rafah, the border crossing of the Gaza strip to Egypt. He further considered the resolution as a way to dodge the central issue of obtaining a ceasefire and would lead to severe consequences, with the ambiguous language used in the draft resolution.
The author is a Research Officer at Rabita Forum International (RFI).
