Yesterday, thousands participated in a pro-Palestinian march, breaching the White House fences (Reuters)
NOTE: The previous thread/email included an incorrect link to The Guardian story. The correct one is below. Sorry to clutter your inbox with another email.
I loved the level of engagement on last week’s political strategy issue tied to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization. Thanks to those who participated.
Here is today’s political strategy question:
Please read this story from the always excellent The Guardian about Biden administration staff protests playing out over President Biden’s position on the Israeli-Hamas war.
If you were the White House chief of staff how would you handle this matter?
First, let me say that I appreciate this initiative to generate conversations about policy that are relevant to our situation today. In the case of the Israeli reaction to the Hamas attack, it is the kind of problem from hell that real policy makers have to deal with. In our national political discourse, there is so much shallow talk about easy solutions to international issues, but in the real world there are rarely easy solutions.
Israel absolutely has the right and obligation to defend itself. The Hamas attacks on October 7th were horrendous and had no legitimate purpose. In terms of international law of armed conflict and the principles of military necessity, distinction/discrimination, proportionality and chivalry/humanity, they were an uncontested war crime. There was no military objective to be achieved, hence no military necessity. The attacks were not focused on military objectives (although Israeli military bases were attacked), but simply on the murder, rape and sexual abuse of Israelis. Hostages were taken, which is a war crime. The military objective to be achieved--there was none--means that proportionality does not apply. And humanity--observing the rules of international humanitarian law--clearly does not apply since the targets were civilian and the object was cruelty and murder. Hamas is, in fact, a living war crime, since its stated objective is the elimination of the Jewish state, and hence genocide.
However, while Israel has an absolute right and obligation to defend itself, it also has an absolute obligation to conduct its self defense in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law. The Israeli response also fails to meet the criteria of distinction--distinguishing civilian from military targets; proportionality--the military objective to be achieved must be proportionate to the force used; military necessity--destroying Hamas is a valid military goal, but the operation as conducted seems not to be aimed at doing that without destroying the civilian population; and humanity. The death toll of over 24,000 people at last count is wildly out of proportion to the military objective ostensibly being pursued, and the stated objective of Israeli officials to starve out the population is in fact a war crime.
So, the Biden administration is trying to square the circle of supporting the legitimate Israeli government while also advocating for humanitarian relief for the Palestinians in Gaza. It is an almost impossible juggling act. Netanyahu and his right-wing government have displayed complete contempt for International Humanitarian Law. Would it be good if Hamas could be eliminated? Yes, but it is probably not possible, and at what cost to civilian lives?
I would say this administration is handling a very bad situation about as well as is possible, but more attention to the actual human beings in Gaza is imperative. And Israel is destroying its legitimacy by the way it is conducting this war. The net result will be more, not fewer, people who wish the destruction of Israel. And that is not prudent self defense.
The Hamas problem is the problem of extremist Islamist ambitions - that of following one of the instructions in 'the book' TO THE LETTER - ie 1) Convert , or 2) Subdue or 3) Kill all non-Muslims of the world. THAt is the instruction. Obviously they are a fairly small band of people without the means to follow thru on all of that, so they are starting with their first enemy - the Jews, but they need to be controlled completely not bargained with, they are a dangerous sect. They appear to have managed to take control of Gaza, so unless they are removed from there, they already have a solid base to operate from ! We all need to keep an eye on their moves ! THAT is why Israel is being so firm on trying to root them all out !
Iran is the puppet master in all this. Hamas, Hezbollah, are supported by them. Their goal it seems is to get all non-Muslims out of the region, including the U.S. Like Isis, Taliban, you can’t just wipe these people out. They come from everywhere in the Middle East. Rooting them all out is not possible. Look at the Big Picture.
We have to avoid Vietnam war like scenario. Fear of communism got US too deep into Vietnam war to back out. Then what happened afterward is what we have to remember. America wasted the moral and financial capital in a war that was never really justified politically. We are getting closer to that scenario because Israel’s ability and justification to exist no longer rest with other Arab nations but firmly in the hands of Israeli people with the support of it’s allies. Israel was attacked this time after politically weakened by the extreme rights, which neglected, mishandled, and left Israel vulnerable. Therefore the aim and the goal to wipe out Hamas should not be translated into the war against many more people there. It is simply not realistic nor politically viable. Just like in Vietnam, trying to kill them all will not work.
Hamas took control of Gaza in 2006 when they were elected by the people of Gaza to be the government. They were legitimately elected, although they have not held an election since. So it has been in control of Gaza for a long time. Keep in mind that Hamas is a political and social organization as well as a terrorist/military organization. It is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which uses a comprehensive program of social and political support of Muslims while also using force to try to take power. It is deeply embedded into Gaza, so eliminating it militarily is probably not feasible, and the political leadership lives in Qatar, so eliminating that leadership is also not possible. Hamas is a movement, not just a terrorist organization, and is supported by Iran, so it can’t just be easily wiped away. And as Suzanne says below, Islamism is prevalent throughout the Middle East, so we can just wish it away or blow it up.
Very well said! It’s a “damned if you do & damned if you do” situation for this administration too. The U.S. has staunchly supported everything Israel up to this point, with few grumbling about it. I always had some skepticism about how solid the unconditional support was. We saw progressive House members sanctioned by Republicans for saying anything against Israel. It’s funny to see far right Republicans who are usually anti-semites, suddenly become pro Israel, just so they can oppose the far Left who are opposed to Israel’s war.
I wish Biden luck in figuring this out. If he could get Israel to stop bombing & get Hamas to return hostages, that might be a win. I’m not sure how possible that is with the Israeli right wing government and militant Hamas. He could force the issue by withholding funds, perhaps.
Perfectly said. Without Netanyahu it may never have come to this. It is the same in the US. Without Trump January 6th would have never happened. Time to do away with both.
United States is not impressed with BiBi but stuck with him, and so is Israel, until he is shown the EXIT. Understand that 70% of the Israelis want him OUT and 40% of them want it immediately! Slow or cut the funds coming from here? Might push Netanyahu quickly? He is saving himself from jail! War will continue then? One hundred days now . . .
The staffers, like the rest of us, must see both sides of a very tragic and complicated story. While Biden, with his words and policies, may not be expressing the amount of concern that some folks would like to see re the Gazans, others may feel that the Israelis only have one option, that being to go all in on destroying Hamas...costs be damned.
When you have a situation such as this, rife with emotion and violence, there will always be dissent.
Even if Biden threatened to withdraw financial support from Israel (over $3B per year), Bibi is so intent on destroying Gaza that he would placate Joe with words then go ahead and continue his murderous destruction of Palestinians. So, it's not as if Biden is in favor of what that pig Netanyahu is doing.
The Palestinians are not an innocent bunch of people, they know who & what Hamas is, and have not thrown them out of Gaza, but allowed them to become their leaders. Now that is highly likely because they know how dangerous (& cruel) Hamas can be, so the ordinary Palestinians are probably scared of them. However please make sure you temper your admonition of Israel with recognition of how much of a threat those extremists actually are to not only Israel but in fact ALL OF US if they get the chance to attack non-Muslims everywhere !
Hamas threw dissenters off buildings. Yeah, I’d say some of the population are afraid. Also Hamas won’t let elections take place since they were voted in many years ago.
One of the hostages said after trying to escape, the Palestinians handed her back to the Hamas. The people themselves neglect their own, attack their neighbors and have no respect for women. It won’t be easy to have peace but we have to begin somewhere.
If you're a staffer, you sign your name to the dissent. If you want to go public with your disagreements, you first resign your position. To do otherwise is cowardice and dishonest.
Jeff Zients should make it very clear to President Biden that this is not a problem that will go away.
As long as he demonstrates any support for Netanyahu, he will alienate a large percentage of the voters he needs. President Biden needs to tell Netanyahu to resign, he needs to demand that aid delivery is unimpeded, that all trucks get through, and the bombing of refugee camps is absolutely wrong.
Totally off topic - with all the ageism that the republicans are throwing around, someone needs to tell Pres. Biden that the little tuft of hair on the back of his head that shows on all profile shots makes the old age argument more believable.
Dam. Your ageism is showing. Tuft of hair?? I never noticed. My friend was grey & bald by 40! Would you also criticize his hair, with the notion of it making him old & unable to do his job?
You misunderstand. President Biden is doing an excellent job and will continue to do what is right and good for our country. However, in this environment of hostility, the haters will look for the smallest detail; they will magnify it and make memes about it, etc. If a simple haircut will eliminate even one opportunity for them to make jokes about age, why not make that simple change.
Because he was in ICU does not preclude he was not working..call it remote work.. if that were the case why would he report being AWOL? At times ICU does not mean you are comatose or in dire straights.. can be an extreme measure erring on the side of caution given his responsibilities.. seems everyone wants to beat someone up for anything and everything these days.. wonder where that came from?
Having been the victim of a terrible cancer, diagnosis myself this past summer, I could attest to the fact that when you get it, you start thinking about yourself, and what you have to do to survive very quickly. My guess is because of his position. They expedited the surgery and he had a family that needed to be notified and assumed to get through surgery quickly and then could notify the White House. I’m sure his deputy knew what was going on and would have told the White House if there was any indication That the secretary of defense was not going to make it. I think everybody else should mind their own business. Let the man focus on himself for a few weeks until he gets his sea legs back.
Mo..agree i have life threatening prob myself.. it was my understanding he had gone thru all that but had a post op infection. It was being treated in the most agressive way in the most serious ward in the hospital.. sound idea..one does not need sepsis.. i hope everything goes your way.. the best to you!
Hamas still has hostages and there seems to be no pressure on them to release those hostages. Hamas started all this by attacking Israel on October 7. If they hadn't done that 23,000 Palestinians would still be alive today. An unusual aspect in this conflict is the elaborate system of tunnels underneath the civilian population through which rockets have been transported and fired on Israeli civilians continuously for many years. A Palestinian official promised that these rockets would continue to be fired again and again. As before, this would recur after every cease-fire. So, we are confronted with what has been called a "Mexican Stand-off." I suggest that Hamas hand over a map of all its tunnels to the Israelis who could then destroy them without harming the population. Afterwards, Hamas can give up its power over Gaza and the Palestinians can proceed to create their own version of democratic self-government.
Am I naive in asking why it is thought Hamas _can_ be destroyed? How is any ideology destroyed? In the US, the “MAGA ideology” seems to be thriving despite all truths being told. ISIS, the Taliban, Hezbollah, all the others that exist, are peopled by more people after destruction of some.
In a comment among these it was noted that the Palestinian American vote is going against Biden. So is the greater Muslim vote. What will those who are Humanists do?
Your question, Steve, was what would we advise the advisors or the President, was it not? If this is to be the US position with only what seems anymore a nod to Ukraine, it is one I find abhorrent. Listening often to Aaron David Miller, among those with greater knowledge than I, I think the US has aided the deaths and destruction of people who were already under siege. How do we justify that?
The fascist ideology and the southern racial supremacy were never eradicated. They were defeated on the battlefields and at the ballot box. At the current conflict in the Middle East, and of the MAGA ideology, the battlefields are not well defined and there are enormous stakes. It is very important for Biden to point out to people that without Netanyahu and Donald Trump there will be peace and prosperity again regardless of the fascist and extremist ideology. That under Biden’s steadfast leadership the world can once again navigate in peaceful water in spite of the differences among us.
Joe Biden has over 50 years experience dealing with foreign policy. He also has information these staffers do not have. I question their putting politics over strategic policy implementation. I share their concerns and hope there is a very quick end and amelioration of the suffering. The proposed solutions are all difficult and will leave some unhappy.
Either Netanyahu goes, or we're out. We're not back in unless the new leader promises a two state solution. That's our conditions. Nothing to negotiate.
Netanyahu LOVED trump and Kushner..- What if/ this was an intentionally orchestrated War.
In order to Put Biden between a Rock and Hard Place? As soon as the October attack happened..ALL REPUBLICANS were Pro Israel , Pro Israel ..they have the right to defend themselves.
yes..they have that right. BUT 1) The defense , the retaliation, the punishment is worse than the initial attack/ although that was horrendous. 2) Bibi wants this to continue in order to be Prime Minister again ..He is the longest LONGEST serving prime minister in the Galaxy. He rigs elections. He also doesn't want to face charges that he has been convicted of. He too is running from Prison. WHat better way than to start a fight. DARE BIDEN on who he is going to Get Behind..
It is time to reevaluate our relationship with Israel Under Netanyahu. And NOT support his corruption. NOT support his ghoulish treatment of the Palestinian people. ANd NOT support any more destruction .. and death. 1% of a population is A LOT...
the people of GAZA need to start picking up guns and defending themselves. HAMAS is not their friend. ...that is the only way . ANd Biden needs to take the risk / and not give Bibi any more weapons and money.
It is imperative that Netanyahu be driven from power. This is what the vast majority of Israelis want. Netanyahu is hanging on by perpetuating and exacerbating this war.
In my mind, the key to ending this conflagration which has turned into genocide is getting Netanyahu out of power. A bonus is that it would sideline one of tRump's and the Republican Party's allies. Their allies are our enemies.
Extreme left alignment with Hamas, Putin and China is very troubling indeed. But we should step back and move away from Netanyahu created catastrophe first. And decide what would we do in a situation minus Netanyahu. And what Palestinians will do if they understand that Israel is ready to take a different path without extreme rights.
Don't get me wrong: I am no fan of Bibi. He's a terrible PM, and he will be voted out of office. But he's no terrorist. Israel agreed to the two- state solution. It includes half of Jerusalem. The response was an intifada.
Netanyahu favored Hamas over Abbas, thinking Gazans would find stability and a regular life compelling. How'd that work out? Nobody asked for a two- state solution when the West Bank was under Jordanian rule, when Gaza was part of Egypt. But there was no peace then either.
Good points. There was also the possibility that since Israel was about to do some kind of deal with Iran, Hamas didn’t want that and so started a conflict.
What seems missing here is an acknowledgement that there are any boundaries between the US and Israel, reflecting that these are two different nations with different needs and interests, from the political to the economic.
There was a joke Netanyahu made in the past that the US was just a big stupid bull he could just lead around by a ring in its nose--that he could make the US do anything he wanted. I think Biden fell right into this position when he Biden pledged unconditional total support at the outset--i.e. no boundaries, making it harder to dial this back and set any limits now.
Since the US has been a huge supporter of Israel’s military budget and enormous defense capability, I believe that the US should not be supporting Israel unconditionally to do whatever its particular leadership chooses to do and afterwards too , I expect, pay for the majority of the mess and consequences too. Millions in the region and elsewhere do not see this situation and its morality/necessity in the same way as this Israeli government and its minority of supporters do, and this affects my country in significant ways too, both now and into the future.
Another casualty of this war is attention on Ukraine and the support it desperately needs, as well as “the West’s” need to keep its essential boundary with Russia and its imperialist and warring dictator.
I am no longer able to go back and reread or edit beyond a few lines. I don't mean to come off hard ass, especially not to you. It's an upsetting subject.
It is Hamas who refused. But it would have to be done more fairly, as Israel has shown no restraint to building settlements in areas not agreed to, causing trouble.
I would absolutely stand with those calling for restrictions of how we support Israel at this point. IWhile I totally support Israel in so many ways, their government is steering the country in a way that is counterproductive. Nothing will bring back the souls lost on Oct.7th. Nothing....nothing....no amount of bombs, lives lost, Hamas leaders killed...will lessen the horror that those people endured on that day. The current Israeli military strategy is, it seems, far from accomplishing the goal. Yes Israel must try and get the hostages...but bombs won't do that. Us supplying those bombs and supporting the nightmare in Gaza is not doing the Israeli people any good. And the elephant in the room is that tying this administration to military action that is causing starvation and babies dying and all sorts of humanitarian horror is not a...dare I say it...a good look. When we support Israel we don;t have to support every single thing it does....especially since I am sure there are Israeli voices that have had enough of the "bomb them to smithereens" strategy. I think if I were Chief of Staff I would put restrictions that would not continue to enable what seems to be a losing strategy in Gaza.
The Arab/Israeli conflict is long, complicated, and bloody and I do not believe that President Biden can do much to resolve it or that it can be completely resolved at all. The best thing in my judgement that President Biden can do at this point is to try to prevent the conflict from becoming even worse and a lot more deadly by pressuring Israel to scale back their military campaign in Gaza so that far fewer Palestinian civilians are harmed and more aid gets in as they pursue their military objectives and to freeze settlements in the West Bank so that can be a Palestinian state there in the near future.
A two-state system has been pushed for decades but Hamas refuses. They’re still angry, and will continue to be angry, that Jews moved into their area and called it Israel. I don’t see them backing down unless there was a big “carrot” of some sort that could be offered.
The Israeli-Gaza Palestinian-Hamas issue is a mess. Bad people, on both sides. I don't trust right wingers like Netanyahu, and the way they control Israel and the surrounding areas. I don't like the way Hamas protesters murdered all those Israelis. Hamas still wants to wipe Israel from the face of the Earth. Do the student protesters want the Israelis dead? Israel can't rest on that edict. To return slaughter to Palestinians is sloppy, wreckless, and immoral. I thought I heard Biden make a statement that he was against killing innocent civilians, but he doesn't have the moral authority to make Israel do our bidding. Maybe reduce military aid is in order. There's too many parts of that story I don't know. I can't imagine what the whacky right wingers of the US would do that would be just and effective, and I don't want to find out. People are more emotional than they are intelligent, and humans are nasty animals anyway. What ever it takes so that people can live in relative peace.
Antisemitism is alive and well especially in the neighboring Arab nations. It is one of the foundational beliefs that extremist terrorism is based. So is racist supremacy in the US. Biden must turn the hatred and frustration into a choice for hope and the future of the new generations, here and in the Arab world. Biden has to make courageous choices. He needs to take risk and convince those of us seeing no hope that he is willing to be on our side of humanity, peace and prosperity. And that violence and blood bath of hateful ideologies can be indeed defeated at the ballot box. But first he needs to shed Netanyahu.
I totally agree. I don't know what the supremacists are afraid of. It's like some kind of competition thing - primate behavior. They aren't losing anything. And for Biden - he doesn't really have that much power, and I think the oligarchs have stolen the hope of the average citizen - I don't know why they need to take so much, or not allow people to save enough for a decent retirement (or even a low stress life).
Many of us remember 9/11 and how it made us feel, including the President who was in the Senate at the time. Israel just had their own 9/11, 10/7 and the rage they feel is not unlike our own. We are 3 months past that now and the killing is not stopping, the dead don't come back, nothing the Israelis do will bring back a single innocent, they are however killing a lot of innocents and have been ever since 10/7 using weapons that we supply. That needs to stop and should have stopped months ago, we as a nation cannot be married to Netanyahu, he is as despicable as our own insipid clown. The world is seeing us as enabling what the Israelis are doing and they are not wrong to see it that way. We need to do a 180 on how we have approached this and it needs to happen this week. I would think the Israelis showed Biden videos of what Hamas did to the innocents, it was way beyond sickening and there are many hours of it, the bastards were proud of themselves displaying a depravity that is unknown to most civilized people. That kind of hatred didn't just appear on 10/7, it was nurtured by Netanyahu over many years and now it's come home to visit him. As they say "you reap what you sow", and if you don't think the seeds of another cycle of hatred are being sowed as we speak, you had better think again.
I can't read it. I CANNOT. Israel has a right to defend itself. Hamas established its infrastructure to ensure civilian casualties. Hamas WANTS civilian casualties, which unfortunately come with war. Maybe next time Hamas will steal American children, rape American women, murder Americans. Oh, that's right. They did. Don't believe me, listen to Malcol Nance.
You and other far right Jews have gone from the right to defend itself, to raging uncontrolled revenge against all Palestinians, not just Hamas. Both sides are engaged in unchecked propaganda. The truth is fleeting, lost in a sea of death and destruction. Forget about your disgust with Biden and the Democrats. Since 1948, the US has stood steadfastly with the Israeli people and Joe Biden has been in Congress most of this time, and predating Netanyahu. If you have a problem, then you have a problem with the whole world who is watching and the vast majority see Netanyahu so desperate to stay in office, he has engaged in genocide.
Destroying Hamas should be done with targeted Mossad operations and not indiscriminate bombings of innocent Palestinian civilians. While Secretary Blinken and President Biden welcome public criticism and appear to be doing what they can to change Netanyahu's extreme views and actions in Gaza, it is time to use the bully pulpit in the US to show while we stand with Israel, we do not agree with Israeli's right wing government's Gaza policy of destroying Hamas at all costs.
Biden doesn’t want to lose the American-Jewish vote or the Palestinian-American vote. Aside from meeting whatever military commitments we’ve made with Israel, before this war, Biden should halt any additional aid to Israel until the hostilities stop and a timetable agreed to by both sides to work on a permanent solution. I think the sooner Netanyahu is out of office, the sooner a peaceful resolution is possible. I think Biden is losing more politically by his inability to confront and stem the influx of illegal immigrants at our borders.
Biden needs to reveal what the republicans are doing to undermine the border security and immigration process. They have been paying millions to bus in migrants from the border to the blue states. Since NYC mayor began legal actions to hold the bus companies accountable for the cost the republicans are switching to flying the migrants and dropping them off at the blue state borders. They are wasting tax payers money, undermining our legal immigration system and they are cutting funding for border patrol. Most Americans only see the Fox News exaggeration of the migrant problems but not how republican are inflicting that on the United States. People need to know the dirty tricks MAGAS are copying from Putin in Europe.
Anti-semitism is a worldwide scourge present for centuries. It must not be fed but it is being fed by Jews or more particularly by Israelis supported by America. Knowing this was coming one wonders whether Bibi allowed October 7, sacrificing Jews so that he could have his own “final solution” with genocide, like other genocides of yore. He is determined to kill all the Palestinians in Gaza or drive them out, take your pick. He is as bad as Putin. The response greatly exceeds the original crime in which he may be complicit anyway. I would withdraw all aid to Israel until Netanyahu is gone and a commitment made to a 2 state solution under the auspices of the UN. Biden needs to take this step immediately.
I wish it was that easy. I think foreign policy is like wading through mud—slow and laborious. Whatever he does is going to make some people very mad. I have a couple of Jewish friends who are all-out for killing everyone in Gaza.
I could not bear to finish the Guardian article, which follows its usual anti-Israel stance. How you, Steve, accept this crap is beyond me. Apparently, the White House needs to share more of the excellent journalism coming out of Israel dealing with this awful war, and especially needs to stress how Israel is fighting as clean a war as we have ever seen despite the lies of Hamas' apologists.
Anti Israel rhetoric is indeed deafening. The Jews have the right to defend their own homes and families. Their founding of Israel should never be questioned again. But the fire power against the Palestine is unprecedented. This scale can no longer be justified even knowing that the Hamas is hiding behind the people. The past dictates that Jews must have the rights and capabilities to defend themselves. But the enormous destructions in front of the world view in such a compressed time and space bring us to a new realm and we need to reconsider the path. We cannot give up the moral high ground because the stakes are too high if we do. But that also means that we need to continue advocating the rights of the Israelis to exist, for as long as it is necessary. The issue is difficult and complicated. And Biden should stress that Trump with his lack of moral principles at this time will do great harm and we should vote for Biden, a man with compassion and conscience, again.
It’s not anti-Israel. It’s truth. I thought it was well written. Open your mind.
The UN would disagree with your statements completely. Who stopped a UN resolution? The U.S. Most all other countries were for the resolution. The U.S. Congress voted NOT to feed their war machine with funds & military equipment. And that would be the senate controlled by Democrats. Biden vetoed it and sent it anyway.
I would strongly encourage the President to announce diplomatic efforts with the one goal --the establishment of a Palestinian state. The problem of course being who will run it. Hamas cannot be rewarded for keeping their people in poverty all these years, shooting at children desperate to get to aide, and foremost the brutality of the Oct 7 attack. And can the PLA be trusted.? Their own corruption legendary. Is there a party to be formed by the vibrant professionals living in Gaza and the West Bank? Who try to make a life with no functional govt in place. At the same time the President must announce that he is calling for a Marshall Plan to rebuild Gaza working with the wealthy Arab states - S.A, UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, As well as Israel, and further funded by the billions that Hamas has stolen from international aide that must be seized. Hamas must also be charged by the International Criminal Courts that are now prosecuting Israel.
In response to the question “What would I do were I the White House Chief-of-Staff,” I would start by seeking to establish agreement on an indisputable fact—We are not sufficiently using U.S. leverage to exert a meaningful impact on Israeli behavior. Broad acceptance of this view would be critical to deciding on next steps.
My personal feelings about the goings on in Gaza are very mixed and conflicted..The disturbing incongruity of what I have read or heard makes it hard to know in a granular way what is really happening on the ground..I've read some of the replies here and agree with many of their positions..
So..since I have zero experience, lack much information and am fully out of my depth, I am going to answer the question Steve has proffered to us from a completely different perspective..using very plan language..I am the chief of staff to a first term President who was a two term Vice-President and possesses 40 + years experience as a U.S. Senator who wants a second term..I would be advising him to satiate the dissent of the staffers to the best that it can be and strategize his path forward on all fronts to ensure his reelection..
If I were the White House Chief of Staff, I would encourage the President to use the bully pulpit to explain how Israel's counterattack is justified, to argue that it is not genocide, to point out the falseness of the Palestinians' historical narrative, and to educate Americans about how the Palestinians have repeatedly rejected the dual statehood option for war to eradicate Israel instead. I would advise the President to say that quitting was the right thing to do for Tariq Habash as well as the signers of the petition calling for a ceasefire. I'd advise him to appoint a Jewish person to replace Habash.
Most of all, I would encourage the President to excoriate the pro-Islamist left for being the moral and intellectual equivalent of MAGA and explain that the Democrats will lose big in 2024 if they do not get their facts straight.
I support Israel's right to defend itself. However, I strongly disagree the citizens of Gaza have been deemed acceptable collateral damage. I believe Netanyahu priority is to keep his position and as long as they are at war, there will be no election. I do not believe Netanyahu differentiates Hamas from Palestinians. Bombing Hospitals, civilian homes, food and water sources are nothing short of war crimes.
It a very complicated situation and I appreciate the efforts President Biden has and continues to make. A two state solution is desperately needed.
I do not understand the issues with Biden's staff. If the don't agree with his policies, why did they take the job. Biden's experience and relationships with world leaders was a big reason for his 2020 election. His is there to support him, not cause a public relations or political problem for him!
If I was COS, I would graciously but firmly ask for the resignation of all of the staffers who are now going public with their discontent. It is not ok to publicly criticize the boss; privately, yes. I sense that this faction of disapproval comes from a young, very left of center group who are of the opinion that they can dis the team, consequences be damned. The stakes are too high for this sort of public rebellion in the ranks in the administration or in the campaign. Biden has, in fact, tempered his rhetoric and his actions toward Israel in light of the devastation of Palestine. It's a shit show over there and he's doing his best. Those who can't or won't see that, need to go.
Israel is an important democracy amidst a sea of non-liberal (or fake self-determination) countries. Yes, we give them money, and we have a strong history together and too many similarities to list. The US should monitor and advise, but we can no more “stop” the Israeli government from performing its defensive actions than we could if this were the Canadians. Any war within a civilian battlefield is horrible. Examples abound in recent history with huge civilian casualties. Ukraine, Somalia, Iraq, Syria. The discussion is do the means justify the ends instead of vice versa. That’s a fair and complicated debate to have. All voices should be heard but the successful existence and safety of Israel needs to be indisputable.
If I were Biden’s chief of staff, I would allow any protests to continue under their first amendment rights as long as they are peaceful protests. In terms of whether to address their concerns or not, to me that depends on what the state department is saying about when the hostages are likely to be released. It’s my hope that the IDF revised plan to target, Hamas leaders will lead to a negotiation to release the rest of the hostages. If state department says this is not likely, then there may need to be some education of descending Democrats about why the Palestinian cause is not the same as hamas itself
Were I the white house chief of staff, I would urge the president to put out a call to: select experts on the israeli-palestinian conflict, former secretaries of state, journalists, historians, political analysts, congressional leaders, and representative members of his staff to each submit a kind of amicus brief on the subject, limited to, say, 1000 or at most 2000 words, laying out a perspective, solution or analysis of the issues here, by a certain short deadline. This situation calls for wisdom from an array of the best and brightest.
I can only say I would advise Biden to do nothing that would extend the violence. US leadership is nearly bankrupt. Trump will put us all in extreme danger, so Biden's duty is huge.
I think the departure and dissents reflect a larger nationwide trend of liberals that will potentially cost us the election. I know liberals who say they will not vote for Biden this time, and the Israel question is solidifying their defiance. Ultimately, we should have a non-Biden candidate who can clearly convey the middle-of-the-road, moral position that is shared by most Americans: the Hamas attack was a terrorist attack, and the Israeli govt response must be within the bounds of morality, and that because the U.S. is funding the Israeli response, there should repeated, public demands and threats to remove financing unless Israel immediately brings its actions within the bounds of morality and law.
Well, I agree with the latter half of your comment, but I say to the far Left progressives who say they won’t vote for Biden over this: Enjoy 4 years of trump who will annihilate any policy they want, and thank them for allowing fascism to rise.
How do we evaluate who is innocent and deserves protection? You can examine any civil war and see the ‘innocent’ participating to some extent in their own genocide. Ireland, Rwanda, Korea, US, Vietnam, Russia, even Ukraine. Sure, usually one side starts it, but bloodshed and war releases our insatiable desire for revenge and winning. The conqueror writes the history books. Withdrawing even from a hopeless war is viewed as failure. Who wins? Only through peace and dialogue can this situation start to be resolved. The diehard right wing refuse to negotiate. They don’t really care about those killed and accept it as the price of martyrdom. All or nothing. If either side is not interested in negotiating a peace that is sustainable, the conflict will not cease. Viewing the war from a safe distance, you may think you have the answers. But you don’t see the hidden agenda or ongoing hostilities all sides have.
have a teach-in whereby Biden s policy choices are explained; have open expression and discussion of dissent; celebrate that such a forum can happen in the United States; explore implications of quitting the administration.
First, let me say that I appreciate this initiative to generate conversations about policy that are relevant to our situation today. In the case of the Israeli reaction to the Hamas attack, it is the kind of problem from hell that real policy makers have to deal with. In our national political discourse, there is so much shallow talk about easy solutions to international issues, but in the real world there are rarely easy solutions.
Israel absolutely has the right and obligation to defend itself. The Hamas attacks on October 7th were horrendous and had no legitimate purpose. In terms of international law of armed conflict and the principles of military necessity, distinction/discrimination, proportionality and chivalry/humanity, they were an uncontested war crime. There was no military objective to be achieved, hence no military necessity. The attacks were not focused on military objectives (although Israeli military bases were attacked), but simply on the murder, rape and sexual abuse of Israelis. Hostages were taken, which is a war crime. The military objective to be achieved--there was none--means that proportionality does not apply. And humanity--observing the rules of international humanitarian law--clearly does not apply since the targets were civilian and the object was cruelty and murder. Hamas is, in fact, a living war crime, since its stated objective is the elimination of the Jewish state, and hence genocide.
However, while Israel has an absolute right and obligation to defend itself, it also has an absolute obligation to conduct its self defense in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law. The Israeli response also fails to meet the criteria of distinction--distinguishing civilian from military targets; proportionality--the military objective to be achieved must be proportionate to the force used; military necessity--destroying Hamas is a valid military goal, but the operation as conducted seems not to be aimed at doing that without destroying the civilian population; and humanity. The death toll of over 24,000 people at last count is wildly out of proportion to the military objective ostensibly being pursued, and the stated objective of Israeli officials to starve out the population is in fact a war crime.
So, the Biden administration is trying to square the circle of supporting the legitimate Israeli government while also advocating for humanitarian relief for the Palestinians in Gaza. It is an almost impossible juggling act. Netanyahu and his right-wing government have displayed complete contempt for International Humanitarian Law. Would it be good if Hamas could be eliminated? Yes, but it is probably not possible, and at what cost to civilian lives?
I would say this administration is handling a very bad situation about as well as is possible, but more attention to the actual human beings in Gaza is imperative. And Israel is destroying its legitimacy by the way it is conducting this war. The net result will be more, not fewer, people who wish the destruction of Israel. And that is not prudent self defense.
The Hamas problem is the problem of extremist Islamist ambitions - that of following one of the instructions in 'the book' TO THE LETTER - ie 1) Convert , or 2) Subdue or 3) Kill all non-Muslims of the world. THAt is the instruction. Obviously they are a fairly small band of people without the means to follow thru on all of that, so they are starting with their first enemy - the Jews, but they need to be controlled completely not bargained with, they are a dangerous sect. They appear to have managed to take control of Gaza, so unless they are removed from there, they already have a solid base to operate from ! We all need to keep an eye on their moves ! THAT is why Israel is being so firm on trying to root them all out !
Iran is the puppet master in all this. Hamas, Hezbollah, are supported by them. Their goal it seems is to get all non-Muslims out of the region, including the U.S. Like Isis, Taliban, you can’t just wipe these people out. They come from everywhere in the Middle East. Rooting them all out is not possible. Look at the Big Picture.
We have to avoid Vietnam war like scenario. Fear of communism got US too deep into Vietnam war to back out. Then what happened afterward is what we have to remember. America wasted the moral and financial capital in a war that was never really justified politically. We are getting closer to that scenario because Israel’s ability and justification to exist no longer rest with other Arab nations but firmly in the hands of Israeli people with the support of it’s allies. Israel was attacked this time after politically weakened by the extreme rights, which neglected, mishandled, and left Israel vulnerable. Therefore the aim and the goal to wipe out Hamas should not be translated into the war against many more people there. It is simply not realistic nor politically viable. Just like in Vietnam, trying to kill them all will not work.
Hamas took control of Gaza in 2006 when they were elected by the people of Gaza to be the government. They were legitimately elected, although they have not held an election since. So it has been in control of Gaza for a long time. Keep in mind that Hamas is a political and social organization as well as a terrorist/military organization. It is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which uses a comprehensive program of social and political support of Muslims while also using force to try to take power. It is deeply embedded into Gaza, so eliminating it militarily is probably not feasible, and the political leadership lives in Qatar, so eliminating that leadership is also not possible. Hamas is a movement, not just a terrorist organization, and is supported by Iran, so it can’t just be easily wiped away. And as Suzanne says below, Islamism is prevalent throughout the Middle East, so we can just wish it away or blow it up.
Very well said! It’s a “damned if you do & damned if you do” situation for this administration too. The U.S. has staunchly supported everything Israel up to this point, with few grumbling about it. I always had some skepticism about how solid the unconditional support was. We saw progressive House members sanctioned by Republicans for saying anything against Israel. It’s funny to see far right Republicans who are usually anti-semites, suddenly become pro Israel, just so they can oppose the far Left who are opposed to Israel’s war.
I wish Biden luck in figuring this out. If he could get Israel to stop bombing & get Hamas to return hostages, that might be a win. I’m not sure how possible that is with the Israeli right wing government and militant Hamas. He could force the issue by withholding funds, perhaps.
We stand with Israel, not Netanyahu. When this is settled or over we will continue to stand with Israel and a two state solution.
Perfectly said. Without Netanyahu it may never have come to this. It is the same in the US. Without Trump January 6th would have never happened. Time to do away with both.
United States is not impressed with BiBi but stuck with him, and so is Israel, until he is shown the EXIT. Understand that 70% of the Israelis want him OUT and 40% of them want it immediately! Slow or cut the funds coming from here? Might push Netanyahu quickly? He is saving himself from jail! War will continue then? One hundred days now . . .
Free Palestine from Hamas, Free Israel from Netanyahu
The staffers, like the rest of us, must see both sides of a very tragic and complicated story. While Biden, with his words and policies, may not be expressing the amount of concern that some folks would like to see re the Gazans, others may feel that the Israelis only have one option, that being to go all in on destroying Hamas...costs be damned.
When you have a situation such as this, rife with emotion and violence, there will always be dissent.
Even if Biden threatened to withdraw financial support from Israel (over $3B per year), Bibi is so intent on destroying Gaza that he would placate Joe with words then go ahead and continue his murderous destruction of Palestinians. So, it's not as if Biden is in favor of what that pig Netanyahu is doing.
The Palestinians are not an innocent bunch of people, they know who & what Hamas is, and have not thrown them out of Gaza, but allowed them to become their leaders. Now that is highly likely because they know how dangerous (& cruel) Hamas can be, so the ordinary Palestinians are probably scared of them. However please make sure you temper your admonition of Israel with recognition of how much of a threat those extremists actually are to not only Israel but in fact ALL OF US if they get the chance to attack non-Muslims everywhere !
Sorry, they “Allowed”? I don’t think you can say that about an unarmed populace in an open air prison.
Hamas threw dissenters off buildings. Yeah, I’d say some of the population are afraid. Also Hamas won’t let elections take place since they were voted in many years ago.
One of the hostages said after trying to escape, the Palestinians handed her back to the Hamas. The people themselves neglect their own, attack their neighbors and have no respect for women. It won’t be easy to have peace but we have to begin somewhere.
Not surprising. It’s a barbaric world there.
If you're a staffer, you sign your name to the dissent. If you want to go public with your disagreements, you first resign your position. To do otherwise is cowardice and dishonest.
Jeff Zients should make it very clear to President Biden that this is not a problem that will go away.
As long as he demonstrates any support for Netanyahu, he will alienate a large percentage of the voters he needs. President Biden needs to tell Netanyahu to resign, he needs to demand that aid delivery is unimpeded, that all trucks get through, and the bombing of refugee camps is absolutely wrong.
Totally off topic - with all the ageism that the republicans are throwing around, someone needs to tell Pres. Biden that the little tuft of hair on the back of his head that shows on all profile shots makes the old age argument more believable.
Glad someone else sees it. There must be hundreds if not thousands of barbers who would give him a free trim
I've thought the same thing about his hair flip. It's likely a throwback to his '60s Era "look cool". Time to let it go.
Dam. Your ageism is showing. Tuft of hair?? I never noticed. My friend was grey & bald by 40! Would you also criticize his hair, with the notion of it making him old & unable to do his job?
You misunderstand. President Biden is doing an excellent job and will continue to do what is right and good for our country. However, in this environment of hostility, the haters will look for the smallest detail; they will magnify it and make memes about it, etc. If a simple haircut will eliminate even one opportunity for them to make jokes about age, why not make that simple change.
Because he was in ICU does not preclude he was not working..call it remote work.. if that were the case why would he report being AWOL? At times ICU does not mean you are comatose or in dire straights.. can be an extreme measure erring on the side of caution given his responsibilities.. seems everyone wants to beat someone up for anything and everything these days.. wonder where that came from?
Having been the victim of a terrible cancer, diagnosis myself this past summer, I could attest to the fact that when you get it, you start thinking about yourself, and what you have to do to survive very quickly. My guess is because of his position. They expedited the surgery and he had a family that needed to be notified and assumed to get through surgery quickly and then could notify the White House. I’m sure his deputy knew what was going on and would have told the White House if there was any indication That the secretary of defense was not going to make it. I think everybody else should mind their own business. Let the man focus on himself for a few weeks until he gets his sea legs back.
Mo..agree i have life threatening prob myself.. it was my understanding he had gone thru all that but had a post op infection. It was being treated in the most agressive way in the most serious ward in the hospital.. sound idea..one does not need sepsis.. i hope everything goes your way.. the best to you!
Hamas still has hostages and there seems to be no pressure on them to release those hostages. Hamas started all this by attacking Israel on October 7. If they hadn't done that 23,000 Palestinians would still be alive today. An unusual aspect in this conflict is the elaborate system of tunnels underneath the civilian population through which rockets have been transported and fired on Israeli civilians continuously for many years. A Palestinian official promised that these rockets would continue to be fired again and again. As before, this would recur after every cease-fire. So, we are confronted with what has been called a "Mexican Stand-off." I suggest that Hamas hand over a map of all its tunnels to the Israelis who could then destroy them without harming the population. Afterwards, Hamas can give up its power over Gaza and the Palestinians can proceed to create their own version of democratic self-government.
Thank you. Hamas statistics and lies bought wholesale.
That’s a nice dream that won’t happen. Both sides won’t back down.
Am I naive in asking why it is thought Hamas _can_ be destroyed? How is any ideology destroyed? In the US, the “MAGA ideology” seems to be thriving despite all truths being told. ISIS, the Taliban, Hezbollah, all the others that exist, are peopled by more people after destruction of some.
In a comment among these it was noted that the Palestinian American vote is going against Biden. So is the greater Muslim vote. What will those who are Humanists do?
Your question, Steve, was what would we advise the advisors or the President, was it not? If this is to be the US position with only what seems anymore a nod to Ukraine, it is one I find abhorrent. Listening often to Aaron David Miller, among those with greater knowledge than I, I think the US has aided the deaths and destruction of people who were already under siege. How do we justify that?
The fascist ideology and the southern racial supremacy were never eradicated. They were defeated on the battlefields and at the ballot box. At the current conflict in the Middle East, and of the MAGA ideology, the battlefields are not well defined and there are enormous stakes. It is very important for Biden to point out to people that without Netanyahu and Donald Trump there will be peace and prosperity again regardless of the fascist and extremist ideology. That under Biden’s steadfast leadership the world can once again navigate in peaceful water in spite of the differences among us.
Joe Biden has over 50 years experience dealing with foreign policy. He also has information these staffers do not have. I question their putting politics over strategic policy implementation. I share their concerns and hope there is a very quick end and amelioration of the suffering. The proposed solutions are all difficult and will leave some unhappy.
You can’t please all the people all the time. No matter what is done, some aren’t going to like it.
Either Netanyahu goes, or we're out. We're not back in unless the new leader promises a two state solution. That's our conditions. Nothing to negotiate.
What if
WHat if this was a set up.
Netanyahu LOVED trump and Kushner..- What if/ this was an intentionally orchestrated War.
In order to Put Biden between a Rock and Hard Place? As soon as the October attack happened..ALL REPUBLICANS were Pro Israel , Pro Israel ..they have the right to defend themselves.
yes..they have that right. BUT 1) The defense , the retaliation, the punishment is worse than the initial attack/ although that was horrendous. 2) Bibi wants this to continue in order to be Prime Minister again ..He is the longest LONGEST serving prime minister in the Galaxy. He rigs elections. He also doesn't want to face charges that he has been convicted of. He too is running from Prison. WHat better way than to start a fight. DARE BIDEN on who he is going to Get Behind..
It is time to reevaluate our relationship with Israel Under Netanyahu. And NOT support his corruption. NOT support his ghoulish treatment of the Palestinian people. ANd NOT support any more destruction .. and death. 1% of a population is A LOT...
the people of GAZA need to start picking up guns and defending themselves. HAMAS is not their friend. ...that is the only way . ANd Biden needs to take the risk / and not give Bibi any more weapons and money.
It is imperative that Netanyahu be driven from power. This is what the vast majority of Israelis want. Netanyahu is hanging on by perpetuating and exacerbating this war.
In my mind, the key to ending this conflagration which has turned into genocide is getting Netanyahu out of power. A bonus is that it would sideline one of tRump's and the Republican Party's allies. Their allies are our enemies.
Interesting and worthwhile suggestion.
Netanyahu goes, but not the leader of Hamas? Much like Trump and Biden, there is no comparison between the two.
enoonmai, It is not either, or. Hamas must be destroyed, but not through genocide of the Palestinians. I think most people get that.
Actually, Netanyahu and Ismail Haniyeh are both extremists who are consumed with power and greed. Both are evil psychopaths.
Extreme left alignment with Hamas, Putin and China is very troubling indeed. But we should step back and move away from Netanyahu created catastrophe first. And decide what would we do in a situation minus Netanyahu. And what Palestinians will do if they understand that Israel is ready to take a different path without extreme rights.
Don't get me wrong: I am no fan of Bibi. He's a terrible PM, and he will be voted out of office. But he's no terrorist. Israel agreed to the two- state solution. It includes half of Jerusalem. The response was an intifada.
Netanyahu favored Hamas over Abbas, thinking Gazans would find stability and a regular life compelling. How'd that work out? Nobody asked for a two- state solution when the West Bank was under Jordanian rule, when Gaza was part of Egypt. But there was no peace then either.
Good points. There was also the possibility that since Israel was about to do some kind of deal with Iran, Hamas didn’t want that and so started a conflict.
What seems missing here is an acknowledgement that there are any boundaries between the US and Israel, reflecting that these are two different nations with different needs and interests, from the political to the economic.
There was a joke Netanyahu made in the past that the US was just a big stupid bull he could just lead around by a ring in its nose--that he could make the US do anything he wanted. I think Biden fell right into this position when he Biden pledged unconditional total support at the outset--i.e. no boundaries, making it harder to dial this back and set any limits now.
Since the US has been a huge supporter of Israel’s military budget and enormous defense capability, I believe that the US should not be supporting Israel unconditionally to do whatever its particular leadership chooses to do and afterwards too , I expect, pay for the majority of the mess and consequences too. Millions in the region and elsewhere do not see this situation and its morality/necessity in the same way as this Israeli government and its minority of supporters do, and this affects my country in significant ways too, both now and into the future.
Another casualty of this war is attention on Ukraine and the support it desperately needs, as well as “the West’s” need to keep its essential boundary with Russia and its imperialist and warring dictator.
Very very good point and it is never too late to work on this.
I am no longer able to go back and reread or edit beyond a few lines. I don't mean to come off hard ass, especially not to you. It's an upsetting subject.
What the US wants, what most of the Middle East wants, and what most of the world understands is necessary, is a two-state solution.
It is Hamas who refused. But it would have to be done more fairly, as Israel has shown no restraint to building settlements in areas not agreed to, causing trouble.
I would absolutely stand with those calling for restrictions of how we support Israel at this point. IWhile I totally support Israel in so many ways, their government is steering the country in a way that is counterproductive. Nothing will bring back the souls lost on Oct.7th. Nothing....nothing....no amount of bombs, lives lost, Hamas leaders killed...will lessen the horror that those people endured on that day. The current Israeli military strategy is, it seems, far from accomplishing the goal. Yes Israel must try and get the hostages...but bombs won't do that. Us supplying those bombs and supporting the nightmare in Gaza is not doing the Israeli people any good. And the elephant in the room is that tying this administration to military action that is causing starvation and babies dying and all sorts of humanitarian horror is not a...dare I say it...a good look. When we support Israel we don;t have to support every single thing it does....especially since I am sure there are Israeli voices that have had enough of the "bomb them to smithereens" strategy. I think if I were Chief of Staff I would put restrictions that would not continue to enable what seems to be a losing strategy in Gaza.
Hi Steve,
The Arab/Israeli conflict is long, complicated, and bloody and I do not believe that President Biden can do much to resolve it or that it can be completely resolved at all. The best thing in my judgement that President Biden can do at this point is to try to prevent the conflict from becoming even worse and a lot more deadly by pressuring Israel to scale back their military campaign in Gaza so that far fewer Palestinian civilians are harmed and more aid gets in as they pursue their military objectives and to freeze settlements in the West Bank so that can be a Palestinian state there in the near future.
A two-state system has been pushed for decades but Hamas refuses. They’re still angry, and will continue to be angry, that Jews moved into their area and called it Israel. I don’t see them backing down unless there was a big “carrot” of some sort that could be offered.
The Israeli-Gaza Palestinian-Hamas issue is a mess. Bad people, on both sides. I don't trust right wingers like Netanyahu, and the way they control Israel and the surrounding areas. I don't like the way Hamas protesters murdered all those Israelis. Hamas still wants to wipe Israel from the face of the Earth. Do the student protesters want the Israelis dead? Israel can't rest on that edict. To return slaughter to Palestinians is sloppy, wreckless, and immoral. I thought I heard Biden make a statement that he was against killing innocent civilians, but he doesn't have the moral authority to make Israel do our bidding. Maybe reduce military aid is in order. There's too many parts of that story I don't know. I can't imagine what the whacky right wingers of the US would do that would be just and effective, and I don't want to find out. People are more emotional than they are intelligent, and humans are nasty animals anyway. What ever it takes so that people can live in relative peace.
Antisemitism is alive and well especially in the neighboring Arab nations. It is one of the foundational beliefs that extremist terrorism is based. So is racist supremacy in the US. Biden must turn the hatred and frustration into a choice for hope and the future of the new generations, here and in the Arab world. Biden has to make courageous choices. He needs to take risk and convince those of us seeing no hope that he is willing to be on our side of humanity, peace and prosperity. And that violence and blood bath of hateful ideologies can be indeed defeated at the ballot box. But first he needs to shed Netanyahu.
I totally agree. I don't know what the supremacists are afraid of. It's like some kind of competition thing - primate behavior. They aren't losing anything. And for Biden - he doesn't really have that much power, and I think the oligarchs have stolen the hope of the average citizen - I don't know why they need to take so much, or not allow people to save enough for a decent retirement (or even a low stress life).
Many of us remember 9/11 and how it made us feel, including the President who was in the Senate at the time. Israel just had their own 9/11, 10/7 and the rage they feel is not unlike our own. We are 3 months past that now and the killing is not stopping, the dead don't come back, nothing the Israelis do will bring back a single innocent, they are however killing a lot of innocents and have been ever since 10/7 using weapons that we supply. That needs to stop and should have stopped months ago, we as a nation cannot be married to Netanyahu, he is as despicable as our own insipid clown. The world is seeing us as enabling what the Israelis are doing and they are not wrong to see it that way. We need to do a 180 on how we have approached this and it needs to happen this week. I would think the Israelis showed Biden videos of what Hamas did to the innocents, it was way beyond sickening and there are many hours of it, the bastards were proud of themselves displaying a depravity that is unknown to most civilized people. That kind of hatred didn't just appear on 10/7, it was nurtured by Netanyahu over many years and now it's come home to visit him. As they say "you reap what you sow", and if you don't think the seeds of another cycle of hatred are being sowed as we speak, you had better think again.
Agree. The trump supporters are all in with Netanyahu too, and they & right wing media will have a heyday if there’s any pull back by the US.
From Malcolm Nance:
https://open.substack.com/pub/malcolmnance/p/hamas-needs-children-to-die?r=gl46d&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Women and children do not start wars, but do bear the brunt of this abominable male discourse. There are no "winners" in any war.
I can't read it. I CANNOT. Israel has a right to defend itself. Hamas established its infrastructure to ensure civilian casualties. Hamas WANTS civilian casualties, which unfortunately come with war. Maybe next time Hamas will steal American children, rape American women, murder Americans. Oh, that's right. They did. Don't believe me, listen to Malcol Nance.
https://open.substack.com/pub/malcolmnance/p/hamas-needs-children-to-die?r=gl46d&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
You and other far right Jews have gone from the right to defend itself, to raging uncontrolled revenge against all Palestinians, not just Hamas. Both sides are engaged in unchecked propaganda. The truth is fleeting, lost in a sea of death and destruction. Forget about your disgust with Biden and the Democrats. Since 1948, the US has stood steadfastly with the Israeli people and Joe Biden has been in Congress most of this time, and predating Netanyahu. If you have a problem, then you have a problem with the whole world who is watching and the vast majority see Netanyahu so desperate to stay in office, he has engaged in genocide.
I, a right wing anything? My "digust with Biden and the Democrats"? Why, bless your heart, you don't know me at all.
Destroying Hamas should be done with targeted Mossad operations and not indiscriminate bombings of innocent Palestinian civilians. While Secretary Blinken and President Biden welcome public criticism and appear to be doing what they can to change Netanyahu's extreme views and actions in Gaza, it is time to use the bully pulpit in the US to show while we stand with Israel, we do not agree with Israeli's right wing government's Gaza policy of destroying Hamas at all costs.
Biden doesn’t want to lose the American-Jewish vote or the Palestinian-American vote. Aside from meeting whatever military commitments we’ve made with Israel, before this war, Biden should halt any additional aid to Israel until the hostilities stop and a timetable agreed to by both sides to work on a permanent solution. I think the sooner Netanyahu is out of office, the sooner a peaceful resolution is possible. I think Biden is losing more politically by his inability to confront and stem the influx of illegal immigrants at our borders.
Biden needs to reveal what the republicans are doing to undermine the border security and immigration process. They have been paying millions to bus in migrants from the border to the blue states. Since NYC mayor began legal actions to hold the bus companies accountable for the cost the republicans are switching to flying the migrants and dropping them off at the blue state borders. They are wasting tax payers money, undermining our legal immigration system and they are cutting funding for border patrol. Most Americans only see the Fox News exaggeration of the migrant problems but not how republican are inflicting that on the United States. People need to know the dirty tricks MAGAS are copying from Putin in Europe.
Anti-semitism is a worldwide scourge present for centuries. It must not be fed but it is being fed by Jews or more particularly by Israelis supported by America. Knowing this was coming one wonders whether Bibi allowed October 7, sacrificing Jews so that he could have his own “final solution” with genocide, like other genocides of yore. He is determined to kill all the Palestinians in Gaza or drive them out, take your pick. He is as bad as Putin. The response greatly exceeds the original crime in which he may be complicit anyway. I would withdraw all aid to Israel until Netanyahu is gone and a commitment made to a 2 state solution under the auspices of the UN. Biden needs to take this step immediately.
I wish it was that easy. I think foreign policy is like wading through mud—slow and laborious. Whatever he does is going to make some people very mad. I have a couple of Jewish friends who are all-out for killing everyone in Gaza.
Nice people, shitting on Palestinians for 75 years. Outrageous!
I could not bear to finish the Guardian article, which follows its usual anti-Israel stance. How you, Steve, accept this crap is beyond me. Apparently, the White House needs to share more of the excellent journalism coming out of Israel dealing with this awful war, and especially needs to stress how Israel is fighting as clean a war as we have ever seen despite the lies of Hamas' apologists.
Anti Israel rhetoric is indeed deafening. The Jews have the right to defend their own homes and families. Their founding of Israel should never be questioned again. But the fire power against the Palestine is unprecedented. This scale can no longer be justified even knowing that the Hamas is hiding behind the people. The past dictates that Jews must have the rights and capabilities to defend themselves. But the enormous destructions in front of the world view in such a compressed time and space bring us to a new realm and we need to reconsider the path. We cannot give up the moral high ground because the stakes are too high if we do. But that also means that we need to continue advocating the rights of the Israelis to exist, for as long as it is necessary. The issue is difficult and complicated. And Biden should stress that Trump with his lack of moral principles at this time will do great harm and we should vote for Biden, a man with compassion and conscience, again.
It’s not anti-Israel. It’s truth. I thought it was well written. Open your mind.
The UN would disagree with your statements completely. Who stopped a UN resolution? The U.S. Most all other countries were for the resolution. The U.S. Congress voted NOT to feed their war machine with funds & military equipment. And that would be the senate controlled by Democrats. Biden vetoed it and sent it anyway.
The U.N., like the Guardian, is reliably anti-Israel. Pay attention to the statements and actions of both.
I would strongly encourage the President to announce diplomatic efforts with the one goal --the establishment of a Palestinian state. The problem of course being who will run it. Hamas cannot be rewarded for keeping their people in poverty all these years, shooting at children desperate to get to aide, and foremost the brutality of the Oct 7 attack. And can the PLA be trusted.? Their own corruption legendary. Is there a party to be formed by the vibrant professionals living in Gaza and the West Bank? Who try to make a life with no functional govt in place. At the same time the President must announce that he is calling for a Marshall Plan to rebuild Gaza working with the wealthy Arab states - S.A, UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, As well as Israel, and further funded by the billions that Hamas has stolen from international aide that must be seized. Hamas must also be charged by the International Criminal Courts that are now prosecuting Israel.
In response to the question “What would I do were I the White House Chief-of-Staff,” I would start by seeking to establish agreement on an indisputable fact—We are not sufficiently using U.S. leverage to exert a meaningful impact on Israeli behavior. Broad acceptance of this view would be critical to deciding on next steps.
My personal feelings about the goings on in Gaza are very mixed and conflicted..The disturbing incongruity of what I have read or heard makes it hard to know in a granular way what is really happening on the ground..I've read some of the replies here and agree with many of their positions..
So..since I have zero experience, lack much information and am fully out of my depth, I am going to answer the question Steve has proffered to us from a completely different perspective..using very plan language..I am the chief of staff to a first term President who was a two term Vice-President and possesses 40 + years experience as a U.S. Senator who wants a second term..I would be advising him to satiate the dissent of the staffers to the best that it can be and strategize his path forward on all fronts to ensure his reelection..
If I were the White House Chief of Staff, I would encourage the President to use the bully pulpit to explain how Israel's counterattack is justified, to argue that it is not genocide, to point out the falseness of the Palestinians' historical narrative, and to educate Americans about how the Palestinians have repeatedly rejected the dual statehood option for war to eradicate Israel instead. I would advise the President to say that quitting was the right thing to do for Tariq Habash as well as the signers of the petition calling for a ceasefire. I'd advise him to appoint a Jewish person to replace Habash.
Most of all, I would encourage the President to excoriate the pro-Islamist left for being the moral and intellectual equivalent of MAGA and explain that the Democrats will lose big in 2024 if they do not get their facts straight.
I support Israel's right to defend itself. However, I strongly disagree the citizens of Gaza have been deemed acceptable collateral damage. I believe Netanyahu priority is to keep his position and as long as they are at war, there will be no election. I do not believe Netanyahu differentiates Hamas from Palestinians. Bombing Hospitals, civilian homes, food and water sources are nothing short of war crimes.
It a very complicated situation and I appreciate the efforts President Biden has and continues to make. A two state solution is desperately needed.
I do not understand the issues with Biden's staff. If the don't agree with his policies, why did they take the job. Biden's experience and relationships with world leaders was a big reason for his 2020 election. His is there to support him, not cause a public relations or political problem for him!
If I was COS, I would graciously but firmly ask for the resignation of all of the staffers who are now going public with their discontent. It is not ok to publicly criticize the boss; privately, yes. I sense that this faction of disapproval comes from a young, very left of center group who are of the opinion that they can dis the team, consequences be damned. The stakes are too high for this sort of public rebellion in the ranks in the administration or in the campaign. Biden has, in fact, tempered his rhetoric and his actions toward Israel in light of the devastation of Palestine. It's a shit show over there and he's doing his best. Those who can't or won't see that, need to go.
Israel is an important democracy amidst a sea of non-liberal (or fake self-determination) countries. Yes, we give them money, and we have a strong history together and too many similarities to list. The US should monitor and advise, but we can no more “stop” the Israeli government from performing its defensive actions than we could if this were the Canadians. Any war within a civilian battlefield is horrible. Examples abound in recent history with huge civilian casualties. Ukraine, Somalia, Iraq, Syria. The discussion is do the means justify the ends instead of vice versa. That’s a fair and complicated debate to have. All voices should be heard but the successful existence and safety of Israel needs to be indisputable.
If I were Biden’s chief of staff, I would allow any protests to continue under their first amendment rights as long as they are peaceful protests. In terms of whether to address their concerns or not, to me that depends on what the state department is saying about when the hostages are likely to be released. It’s my hope that the IDF revised plan to target, Hamas leaders will lead to a negotiation to release the rest of the hostages. If state department says this is not likely, then there may need to be some education of descending Democrats about why the Palestinian cause is not the same as hamas itself
Were I the white house chief of staff, I would urge the president to put out a call to: select experts on the israeli-palestinian conflict, former secretaries of state, journalists, historians, political analysts, congressional leaders, and representative members of his staff to each submit a kind of amicus brief on the subject, limited to, say, 1000 or at most 2000 words, laying out a perspective, solution or analysis of the issues here, by a certain short deadline. This situation calls for wisdom from an array of the best and brightest.
I can only say I would advise Biden to do nothing that would extend the violence. US leadership is nearly bankrupt. Trump will put us all in extreme danger, so Biden's duty is huge.
I think the departure and dissents reflect a larger nationwide trend of liberals that will potentially cost us the election. I know liberals who say they will not vote for Biden this time, and the Israel question is solidifying their defiance. Ultimately, we should have a non-Biden candidate who can clearly convey the middle-of-the-road, moral position that is shared by most Americans: the Hamas attack was a terrorist attack, and the Israeli govt response must be within the bounds of morality, and that because the U.S. is funding the Israeli response, there should repeated, public demands and threats to remove financing unless Israel immediately brings its actions within the bounds of morality and law.
Well, I agree with the latter half of your comment, but I say to the far Left progressives who say they won’t vote for Biden over this: Enjoy 4 years of trump who will annihilate any policy they want, and thank them for allowing fascism to rise.
How do we evaluate who is innocent and deserves protection? You can examine any civil war and see the ‘innocent’ participating to some extent in their own genocide. Ireland, Rwanda, Korea, US, Vietnam, Russia, even Ukraine. Sure, usually one side starts it, but bloodshed and war releases our insatiable desire for revenge and winning. The conqueror writes the history books. Withdrawing even from a hopeless war is viewed as failure. Who wins? Only through peace and dialogue can this situation start to be resolved. The diehard right wing refuse to negotiate. They don’t really care about those killed and accept it as the price of martyrdom. All or nothing. If either side is not interested in negotiating a peace that is sustainable, the conflict will not cease. Viewing the war from a safe distance, you may think you have the answers. But you don’t see the hidden agenda or ongoing hostilities all sides have.
I guess they're just giving Trump a head start in culling the federal workforce. Good riddance.
have a teach-in whereby Biden s policy choices are explained; have open expression and discussion of dissent; celebrate that such a forum can happen in the United States; explore implications of quitting the administration.