The recent ‘no’ response from President Biden when asked if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was doing enough to free the hostages held by Hamas triggered an onslaught of critique. The evasion prompts deeper doubts regarding the true intentions of the Biden Administration. It happened on a Monday, just before Biden and Vice President Harris stepped into the Situation Room to meet with a hostage negotiation team reacting to the horrific murder of six hostages, including 23-year-old Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin by Hamas.
Netanyahu fired back at the insinuation that he and his coalition bore responsibility for the hostages’ deaths. ‘We were agonizingly close to saving their lives, but it wasn’t due to our actions that we couldn’t,’ he said. The entire matter heightens the apparent strategic prioritization, laid out by Netanyahu, to keep the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stationed along the Philadelphi Corridor, an important 8.7-mile strip bordering Egypt and Gaza, and a notorious hotspot for Hamas arms smuggling activities.
Peter Doocy, a Fox News Senior White House Correspondent, put forward a bold question, ‘Why is Biden coming down harder on Netanyahu than the terrorist leader of Hamas?’ White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded with a not entirely satisfactory, ‘The President has made it clear where he stands on Hamas’ actions.’ Despite her emphasis on Hamas being the responsible party for the carnage, it does little to decrease the concerns over Biden’s seemingly unfair criticism of Netanyahu.
Ex-advisor to Netanyahu, Caroline Glick, provided Fox News Digital with an alarming statement. ‘US pressure has been unfairly targeted towards Israel from the inception of this war. Had the US allowed Israel to encircle Gaza and persuaded Egypt to offer shelter to Gazans, the war could’ve ended months ago.’ Glick blames the US for supporting the persistence of Hamas by demanding Israel to continue supplying Gaza with aid, which she believes, ultimately lands in the hands of Hamas, thereby helping them stay in power.
Glick elaborates, ‘The US push for a hostage deal doesn’t point a finger at Hamas, who are the actual captors and cold-blooded murderers of the hostages. Instead, it directs the pressure solely at Israel.’ Glick made a striking observation that the efforts of the Biden-Harris administration apparently aren’t aimed towards the full rescue of hostages, but rather a ceasefire, whilst still leaving Hamas in control of Gaza and able to regroup terrorist forces rapidly.
While some media indicate 300,000 protestors gathering in Tel Aviv demanding Netanyahu negotiate with Hamas for the remaining hostages’ release, Israeli police’s estimates were a more conservative 80,000. Yet on Monday following, the Israeli labour union federation Histadrut held a widespread strike to pressure Netanyahu into negotiating for the hostages’ release and to cease the war against Hamas.
Despite the protest and strike, the efforts did not appear sufficient to topple the government or force Netanyahu into a capitulative deal that might compromise the Jewish state’s security in Gaza. This situation proves again that while the Biden-Harris administration adamantly criticizes Netanyahu’s governance, the people of Israel trust his judgement.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested that Netanyahu had agreed to a ceasefire and a hostage deal a fortnight ago but accused Hamas of thwarting the arrangement. But it raises a question of why there is seemingly little pressure from the US or other Western nations being applied to Hamas and their benefactors, such as Qatar.
David Friedman, Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, disagreed heavily with Biden’s criticism of Israel’s leader. He said, ‘On a day when Israel taxes itself to mourn for the lives lost to Hamas, Biden should be pointing criticism at Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran — not Israel’s democratically elected leader, Netanyahu.’
Aviva Siegel, a former Hamas hostage whose aging American husband is still captive, made heartrending pleas to Fox News Digital about her desperate wish to see her husband, Keith, alive again. While she criticized the Israeli government for not doing enough, it’s clear that the true villains here are Hamas and their backers.
Seigel spent harrowing weeks under appallingly unhygienic conditions while in Hamas captivity—an indictment to the brutality and inhumanity of terrorist organizations such as Hamas. While she expresses concern about the Israeli government’s retention of Gaza territories, it’s important to keep in mind the strategic safeguarding this action provides against continued terrorism.
Joel Rubin, a former deputy assistant secretary of state who served in the Obama administration, commended Biden’s ‘unflinching’ support for Israel’s war against Hamas and his backing in relation to recent Iranian threats. However, such claims beg the question of whether his perceived ‘unflinching’ support has been effective or misdirected.
Rubin also voiced that a diplomatic deal from last November remains the most viable way to rescue the hostages. But when one examines the track record of Hamas as a murderous terror group, particularly the recent execution of six hostages, the validity and safety of a diplomatic deal comes under intense scrutiny. The real gift would indeed be in freeing the kidnapped individuals from Gaza and making Israel — and the rest of the world — a safer place.