Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Thursday night put his own reputation as a staunch supporter of Israel on the line for his boss, President Obama.
Speaking at an event celebrating Israel’s 67th Independence Day, a forceful and passionate Mr. Biden declared the Obama administration will never, under any circumstances, allow Israel’s security to be threatened, vowing that this White House will use military force against Iran if diplomacy fails.
Guarding Israel, he said, is personal for the president, despite current disagreements between the two countries.
“Sometimes we drive each other crazy, but we love each other and we protect each other,” Mr. Biden said. “Our commitment to protect Israel’s security it’s personal. It’s personal for me and it’s personal for the president.”
He went on to say that when Mr. Obama says he is committed to Israel’s security, he isn’t merely repeating diplomatic talking points.
“He means it. He means it. You know I mean it, and I’m telling you he means it. That’s my president,” Mr. Biden said. “He understands the need for Israel to have a right and a capacity and the capability to defend itself. At the same time, he says we have Israel’s back, and you can count on that.”
Mr. Biden’s comments come as U.S.-Israel relations appear to be deteriorating, with deep differences between the two allies over Iran nuclear negotiations, a Palestinian state and other issues deepening.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has emerged as a leading critic of the U.S-led talks with Iran, which have produced a preliminary framework to limit Tehran’s nuclear weapons capability in exchange for some relief from economic sanctions.
But so far, the terms of the deal do not call on Iranian leaders to recognize Israel’s right to exist, nor do they force Iran to stop sponsoring terrorism.
“I think this is a bad deal. It leaves Iran with a vast nuclear infrastructure. It lifts the sanctions on them fairly quickly and enables them to get billions of dollars into their coffers,” the Israeli leader told ABC News earlier this month.
The issues between the U.S. and Israel also are spilling into the domestic political arena and giving Republicans a chance to trash Mr. Obama’s foreign policy.
“This is no way to treat an ally. Conducting the foreign policy of a great nation requires maturity and a strategic sense of America’s long-term interests. This is no time for schoolyard antics,” former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a likely 2016 presidential candidate, said of the president’s attitude toward Israel in a recent piece for National Review.
Beyond Iran, the administration also has taken issue with Mr. Netanyahu’s assertion last month that a Palestinian state would not happen during his time as Israeli leader.
Mr. Netanyahu later said he remains open to a two-state solution but only if Israel’s security can be guaranteed.
But the administration refused to accept Mr. Netanyahu’s explanation and has indicated it may for the first time in U.S. history back a United Nations resolution calling for a Palestinian state.
“We cannot simply pretend that those comments were never made, or that they don’t raise questions about the prime minister’s commitment to achieving peace through direct negotiation,” White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said last month.
Despite the current tensions, some analysts say the disconnect may not last and largely can be attributed to a clash of personalities between leaders in each nation’s respective administration
“The U.S. support of Israel, its national security guarantees, have been at least as strong under this administration than under any other. It’s never been about the U.S. and Israel in the broad sense. It’s been tensions over two sets of issues” — Iran nuclear negotiations and the two-state solution, said Anthony Cordesman, who holds a chair in strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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