Israelis expressed growing concern Sunday that President Biden unstable debate performance could boost the country’s enemies in the Middle East at what many see as a critical juncture for U.S. leadership in the region.
Israeli commentators across the political spectrum have warned that Iran and its proxies could try to exploit Mr. Biden’s apparent weakness as Israel battles Hamas in Gaza and contemplates the prospect of all-out conflict with the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
American officials are working to negotiate a diplomatic solution to tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in a bid to avoid a wider regional war which, they fear, could draw in both Iran and the United States. The Biden administration is also involved in intense efforts with other mediators to try to advance a truce deal for Gaza that would involve the exchange of remaining hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly pressured the Biden administration to speed up the supply of ammunition before any conflagration with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Several Israeli Sunday newspapers carried the debate on their front pages in a sort of delayed reaction: the debate took place before dawn Friday local time, after the weekend newspapers had gone to press. And Hebrew dailies do not publish on Saturday, the Sabbath.
Analysts at Israel Hayom, a free right-wing newspaper, and the left-wing Haaretz newspaper strike very different tones, but both raise the specter of enemies of Israel and the United States testing the administration’s resolve.
“Will Hezbollah and Iran assess that Biden is now too busy to support Israel in case all-out war breaks out in Lebanon this summer? Amos Harel, Haaretz military affairs analyst, wrote on Sunday.
While some on the Israeli right mocked Mr. Biden’s performance in the debate, hoping for a Trump victory, Mr. Harel said it was a show of ingratitude after the American president supported Israel and supplied it with large quantities of weapons. “Besides,” he added, “Trump is a fragile reed that can be relied upon.”
During Thursday’s presidential debate, Mr. Trump accused Mr. Biden of not wanting Israel to “finish the job” in Gaza, calling him weak and raising eyebrows by using the word “Palestinian” as an insultMr. Biden didn’t give many answers.
Mr. Biden has been a staunch supporter of Israel throughout the war, though he has also been critical, frequently calling on Israel to limit civilian casualties and work to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.
He has a long history with Mr. Netanyahu. Mr. Biden visited Israel last fall in a powerful show of solidarity, shortly after the Hamas terror attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. He has since paid a political price for his support, infuriating American opponents of the war who want the U.S. government to stop supplying munitions to Israel.
But the visions of Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu to have diverged In recent months, the US government has blocked a shipment of heavy bombs destined for Israel, fearing they could be used in densely populated areas. And Mr. Biden rejected Mr. Netanyahu’s often-stated goal of “total victory” over Hamas, calling it a vague goal that would mean indefinite war.
Mr. Trump supported Israel as president and largely embraced the agenda of Mr. Netanyahu and his right-wing allies. During his term, Mr. Trump moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, fulfilling a longstanding Israeli demand.
But the former president appears to have soured on Mr. Netanyahu. He said the Hamas-led attack was the result of Mr Netanyahu’s lack of preparation and praised Hezbollah as “very smart”. interview With Israel Hayom in March, Mr. Trump advised Israel to end the war in Gaza because it was losing much of its global support.
“You have to achieve this,” he told the newspaper, “and we have to achieve peace – we can’t let this continue.”
Israel Hayom’s publisher is Dr. Miriam Adelson, the widow of Sheldon Adelson and a staunchly pro-Israel mega-donor who is are now supporting Donald Trump’s third bid for the White House.
Amnon Lord, a columnist for Israel Hayom, said Sunday that Mr. Biden’s debate performance proved persistent claims that “an extremely progressive group” of aides was running American foreign policy.
“In a world plagued by aggressive forces,” wrote“The unflattering image of an American president – the leader of the free world – appearing weak and inconsistent encourages them to exploit opportunities.”
“Biden’s decline reflects the collapse of his Middle East policy toward Iran and its proxies,” Lord added.
Mr. Lord cautiously sidestepped Mr. Trump’s performance in the debate, saying only that he, too, “didn’t win any supporters.”
The Hebrew daily Yediot Ahronot called Mr Biden’s performance a “catastrophe” on its front page. Columnist Nadav Eyal wrote that faced with the prospect of another Trump presidency, Democrats and their allies were shouldering the fate of the free world.
“Weakness is not a characteristic that an American president can display, under any circumstances,” he said. wrote.
Gabby Sobelman And Myra Noveck contribution to the report.
