OPINION:
On Sept. 1, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We have no candidate. But of course, the Democrats are more predictable. And what Putin said about Biden’s predictability applies to almost all Democrats, including Ms. Harris.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un must share the same sentiment for the same reason.
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are entirely predictable. Whatever the issue, they can be relied on to make the wrong decision. In national security and foreign policy matters, they can be counted on to appease our enemies and kick our allies even when they’re down, as in the case of Israel.
Because of Mr. Biden’s “diplomacy,” Israel’s operations in Rafah in the Gaza Strip were delayed for about three months. In that time, Mr. Biden constantly pushed Israel to make a cease-fire deal that would purportedly result in the hostages’ release.
Months ago, Israel agreed to the framework for such a deal. But Hamas, a terrorist network, refused. And after the murders of six hostages — including one American — we know that Hamas prefers to kill its hostages rather than make any peace agreement with Israel. It has threatened to kill more hostages if Israel tries to rescue them.
As this column has pointed out, wars are decided only when one belligerent loses to another. Unless one side is convinced it is defeated, the war goes on.
The principal lesson of recent events is that a democracy cannot win a limited war against a terrorist network or a totalitarian state. This is true because a democracy’s politics can shift dramatically amid a war, as can those of its allies on which it depends.
We’ve seen proof of this worldwide, in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. We see it now in Gaza, Ukraine and the South China Sea.
Among the Labor Day headlines was news that Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris were headed to the White House Situation Room to devise an American reaction to Hamas’ murder of the six hostages. The six were reportedly killed as Israeli troops were closing in to rescue them.
Two things occurred before the meeting. First, Mr. Biden tore himself away from another beach vacation in Delaware. The second was his statement going into the meeting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t doing enough to secure a deal with the Hamas terrorists to obtain the remaining hostages’ release.
A White House statement regarding the Situation Room meeting said: “During the meeting, President Biden and Vice President Harris received an update from the U.S. negotiation team on the status of the bridging proposal outlined by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt. They discussed next steps in the ongoing effort to secure the release of hostages, including continuing consultations with co-mediators Qatar and Egypt.”
It’s nice that Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris received updates. But the fact that nothing was decided to change their feckless diplomatic efforts indicates that they are obtusely unaware of what is going on. Politics is evolving in Israel, Gaza, the many Arab nations around them and among our NATO allies. And “consultations” with our “co-mediators” will go nowhere because each is supporting Hamas.
Egypt has supported the network of Hamas tunnels connecting Egypt and the Gaza Strip through which arms and other equipment are smuggled. It is now blocking Israeli efforts to control that area, known as the Philadelphi Corridor. Qatar has been harboring Hamas leaders and probably other terrorists for years.
Pressures on the Netanyahu government are mounting again. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to demand that a deal be reached, resulting in the remaining hostages’ safe return. The Israeli courts quashed a one-day general strike.
Democracies have to find friends to help them fight, but this is increasingly difficult for Israel. The United Kingdom’s new Labor Party government has suspended 30 arms export licenses for Israel. We don’t know which arms shipments are being stopped, but the U.K. has said it didn’t amount to an arms embargo. The U.K.’s new foreign secretary, David Lammy, said there was a “clear risk” that items exported to Israel might be used in “serious violations of international humanitarian law.”
And there may be worse to come. Ms. Harris has reportedly indicated that she would consider new restrictions on U.S. aid to Israel to free the hostages or reduce civilian deaths. Any such restrictions would help Hamas and make the release of the hostages far less likely.
But as the U.S. and the U.K. put pressure on Israel, as Mr. Biden has done continuously and Ms. Harris may increase, that pressure only strengthens Hamas.
Any cease-fire deal and hostage release appear to be out of reach, and not because of Mr. Netanyahu or Israel. It is because Hamas hasn’t been defeated and accepted that fact.
The tides of politics can always change. Former President Donald Trump was probably Israel’s strongest ally in the White House. If he wins in November, Israel can do so as well. If he doesn’t, Israel will not.
• Jed Babbin is a national security and foreign affairs columnist for The Washington Times and contributing editor for The American Spectator.
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