By Colin Benjamin
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Right-wing Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu’s genocidal war in Gaza, on Palestinians, is undermining President Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign for the American Presidency. And, paradoxically, Biden is facilitating the possibility that Trump will beat him next November by not talking a principled stand against Netanyahu’s ethnic cleansing plan of Palestinians.
Does Biden realize Netanyahu would prefer Trump as president so he can then more mercilessly attack Palestinians with even less restraint?
As Netanyahu’s mass murderous bloodlust against Palestinians continues, Biden seems to be clearly feeling the heat with troublingly falling poll numbers. Biden’s blanket backing of Netanyahu is causing him to lose voter support at home—including among Muslims who are enraged that he is doing nothing to stop the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians.
Biden’s support in Michigan is hemorrhaging and has fallen to 17 percent.
Recently, it was reported that Biden wants Israel to conclude the war by the beginning of 2024. In an apparent response, the Israel Defense Minister claimed it would take months to supposedly defeat Hamas, whatever that means.
This is bad news for Biden.
For one thing, as I said in a previous column, how will Democrats, like Biden, be able to give lip-service about non-violence, in January, on Dr. King’s national holiday, while blessing Netanyahu’s indiscriminate bombings of Gaza?
But more importantly, everyday this ongoing carnage of Palestinians continues Biden will lose more support from other groups besides Muslims. Many Black Americans, and young people, are incensed by Biden’s unwillingness to restraint Netanyahu—while wasting billions that are allocated to maim and murder. Democratic lawmakers should be mindful of giving Netanyahu a free hand in his land extermination plan for Palestinians. They may soon find themselves paying an unexpected price with unfavorable election results.
Ironically, while Biden is helping Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister has likely calculated that by defying Biden he can help a presidential aspirant that he approves of more than Biden: Donald Trump.
Netanyahu’s government represents the racist far-right fringes of Israeli society just as Trump embodies, and speaks for, the most violently racist elements of American society. Therefore, from Netanyahu’s point of view, he would obviously prefer to deal with Trump in the next White House administration. Birds of a feather can do genocide better together. Netanyahu and Trump speak the same language of violent bigotry and inflammable intolerance.
Like Trump, Netanyahu faces domestic legal jeopardy regarding corruption charges. And just before Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack Netanyahu witnessed months of protests regarding his attempts to overhaul the Israeli judiciary. Similar to Trump, Netanyahu believes he is above the law. This is clearly why he has been unrestrained in his vicious campaign to exterminate Palestinians. Netanyahu is seeking to insulate himself from legal accountability by advancing the agenda of the racist far-right in Israel who crave for all the territory of Palestine.
Trump is engaged in a similar battle here in America.
Does Biden face a one-term presidency, in part, because he was outmaneuvered by the manipulative malicious mass murdering prime minister of Israel? If this becomes reality, it will be because Biden was helping someone who he should’ve been treating as a nemesis.
Biden surely understands that Netanyahu is a racist right-winger. So why is he helping Netanyahu to his political detriment? Has Biden forgotten Netanyahu’s attacks on then President Obama inside Congress?
Of course, most of our politicians exist in a Washington political world of zero integrity. The only calculating concern there is to win elections. Many Republicans, and Democrats, sell their souls for power and money to the country’s detriment. For example, hypocritical “rule of law” Republicans who failed to convict Trump, during his second impeachment trial, for evidently engaging in seditious incitement—on Jan. 6, 2021—now galling say they will impeach Biden for something.
Perhaps, if they were impeaching Biden for aiding-and-abetting in Gaza war crimes they would actually have real evidence of high crimes against Biden. But these “pro-life” Republicans are also complicit in the crimes taking place against Palestinians.
Biden’s full throated support of Netanyahu’s genocidal war has everything to do with the fear of the right-wing Israeli lobby and organizations like AIPAC. The leadership of the Democratic Party is failing the world while unmistakable crimes against humanity are currently being perpetrated because they are afraid campaign donations will be withheld by wealthy Jewish sources. In this respect, Democrats are no better that Republicans who do nothing to stop the domestic slaughter of Americans by gun violence because of the blood money Republicans pocket from ghoulish gun manufacturers.
Biden’s unprincipled support of Netanyahu will be recorded in history as a collaborative effort in war crimes against humanity. Many American voters, come November, will not vote for Biden because of the Palestinian blood that is now staining Biden’s hands. Biden has to know his expectation of being a two-term president is shrinking as Netanyahu’s Made-In-America bombs continue falling.
Biden is probably hoping two recent court-related events save his re-election campaign. Last week, special counsel Jack Smith petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a judgment on Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution. And, on Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump was disqualified from being on the state ballot because of the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban.”
Both legal angles are hopeful signs Trump will be stopped before again slithering into the White House. Trump clearly engaged in traitorous behavior to overthrow American democracy. Once upon a time, Trump would be facing execution for orchestrating the Jan. 6 coup attempt.
Still, we really can’t be sure of the final outcome in these two cases, both of which will be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. In the Colorado ruling, Trump’s team will surely argue since he wasn’t convicted in any Jan. 6 case (including during his second impeachment trial) that the Colorado decision is invalid.
Jack Smith’s strategy of pushing for an expedited ruling is shrewd—but this right-wing U.S. Supreme Court has three justices (Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett) who were appointed by Trump. Moreover, corrupt conservative bought-and-paid-for justices like Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas are also on this Court.
Given this reality it is entirely possible Trump gets favorable judgments, particularly in the Colorado case. However, Trump should also be worried that wealthy donor influencers, like Charles Koch, want him removed from America’s political landscape.
But even if Trump is disqualified from becoming president, Biden shouldn’t assume this is good news for him to retain the American Presidency. It may just be better news for presidential hopefuls like Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley.
Both Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley have made dehumanizing comments favoring the ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
