To keep his promises, Biden needs Congress
The War with Israel: What President Biden, Israel, and the United States Need to Tell Washington, and What Israel can do to stop Israel
President Biden’s decades of foreign policy experience made him proud as he brought the international coalition to support Ukraine during its fight against Russia.
He has promised allies — and Ukraine itself — that the United States will back them “as long as it takes.” And last week, he made similar assurances to Israel after Hamas attacked, killing more than a thousand people.
Kirby said Biden is not placing conditions on military assistance to Israel. They have the right to defend themselves. They have a right to go after this terrorist threat. We’re going to do everything we can to help them do that.
The funding that will be given to keep those promises is not assured because the Republican-led House of Representatives is struggling to name a speaker.
Leon Panetta, who was defense secretary and CIA director in the Obama and Clinton administrations, said that a combination of challenges to our democracy, having a “dysfunctional Congress” and now being in two wars with Israel is what’s going on.
It’s more than just the credibility of Joe Biden. The credibility of the United States is important. And the last thing this country needs to do in a dangerous world is send our adversaries a message of weakness,” Panetta told NPR.
The United States of America is the Most Powerful Nation in the World, And It’s Time to Give Back to Israel and to Israel, Not to Give Up
The White House has said it will soon run out of money to help Ukraine. It originally asked Congress for $24 billion to help Ukraine make it through the end of 2023. There was a stop-gap spending bill that runs until Nov. 17 but not that request.
Its next request is expected to be bigger, to help Ukraine defend itself into 2o24. And it will be paired with money for Israel, and possibly other priorities. The funding request was made public on Friday but details of it were kept under wraps.
John Kirby told reporters that time was not on their side. “The runway is not a permanent thing here in regards to both operations on the ground in Israel and Ukraine and as well as our ability to provide security assistance to both partners.”
Biden told CBS’ 60 Minutes that the United States can support both countries at the same time. He said that the United States of America is the most powerful nation in the history of the world. “We have the capacity to do this, but we have an obligation to it.” And, if we don’t, who does?”
Heather Conley, president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said it’s long past time for Biden to be doing more to explain to the public why they need to back Ukraine.
“This is the time to make sure everyone understands the seriousness of the situation, the investment the U.S needs to make, and to make sure everyone is aware of the stakes that are in place,” he said.
“If Ukraine is not successful in restoring its territorial integrity — if Israel struggles to defend itself — this opens the floodgates, if you will, for other countries to take advantage of the weakness, to also take advantage, to express grievance. And that price tag gets higher,” Conley said.
The Status of the Hamas-Nucleus Mission in the Middle East: U.S. President Barack Biden meets Israeli Prime Minister John Kirby
President Biden has a big part to play in his political identity because he is a leader on the world stage.
Peter Feaver is a political scientist at Duke University who has worked in both the Clinton and Bush administrations.
“If that success is replaced by a collapse in Ukraine because we stop supporting Ukraine, then the Biden foreign policy record looks much much more negative,” Feaver said.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia will host Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al- Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for dinner in Amman to discuss efforts to get aid into Gaza. “We want to see assistance get in through that Rafah gate and also for people to be able to get out,” Kirby said.
As Israel prepares to launch a ground assault on Hamas in Gaza the trip comes as a result. Shortages of food, water and medicine in Gaza – and a rising civilian death toll from Israeli strikes – mean the situation is volatile.
Biden will meet with Netanyahu for an update on the strategy and pace of military operations, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on a conference call Monday night.
According to U.S. officials, some Americans are being held hostage by Hamas, and Biden wants to get an update on the situation while he is in the region, Kirby said.
The Pentagon has moved an aircraft carrier strike group into the region in an attempt at deterrence. Biden and his administration are worried that the conflict could spread and make things worse.
Biden told 60 Minutes in an interview that it was necessary for Israel to take out the extremists in Hamas and Hezbollah. But he said he thinks it would be “a big mistake” for Israel to occupy Gaza.
But Kirby reiterated that Biden would discuss his concern about civilian casualties. He said that they’ve been talking with their Israeli counterparts about the importance of armed conflict and the protection of civilians.
However, he has faced a tough battle getting more funding for Ukraine from Congress, and polling shows American support for that conflict has waned since the early days of the war.
