Biden has been trying desperately to prevent the IDF’s planned incursion into Rafah. Right now, the IDF has been fighting around the city’s perimeter, with some airstrikes on targets further toward the center, but still no major invasion, as it waits for more Gazan civilians to flee; so far, half a million have done so in about a week. Whatever Biden and Blinken may insist upon, the IDF does not plan to turn back. It will slowly but inexorably envelop the whole city.
British Colonel Richard Kemp notes Biden’s obsession with Rafah, and his attempt to prevent the IDF from continuing to take over ever larger parts of the city. His observations can be found here: “Biden’s cynical Rafah obsession only strengthens Hamas,” by Richard Kemp, Ynet News, May
…Most damningly of all is Biden’s withholding supplies of some armaments to Israel, including precision-guided munitions. This from a man who said in 2019 that any such action would be “absolutely preposterous” and “beyond comprehension”.
Biden has so far withheld delivery of 500-pound and 2000-pound bombs, which are apparently the “precision-guided munitions” to which Colonel Kemp alludes. He has also withheld artillery shells and tank shells. This is being done in an attempt to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to proceed further into Rafah. It won’t work. Netanyahu, the entire War Cabinet, the Knesset, and the people of Israel are convinced that Hamas can only be dismantled by destroying the last four intact battalions of fighters known to still be in Rafah. If they are not destroyed, Hamas will present itself, plausibly, as having withstood the worst that the IDF could do, and those battalions will be a major part of Hamas’ regrouping, both in Rafah and in the north, in Gaza City and Jabaliya, where the remnants of two battalions have now returned to fight the IDF. Many Arabs and Muslims worldwide will make heroes of Hamas, and if those four battalions are not dismantled in Rafah in the next month or two, Hamas should be able within a year to inflict more attacks on Israel like that carried out on October 7, “again and again and again.”
Biden hopes that this [the withholding of weapons that Israel needs] will all win back the anti-Israel elements of his support base. In his calculation that clearly trumps any and all damage inflicted on an ally that is fighting for its life on multiple fronts. The damage will be profound.
Biden wants to win back the disaffected Arab and Muslim voters in the battleground state of Michigan, whose importance has been greatly exaggerated. Those voters have noisily declared their willingness to refrain from voting for Biden even if it means that Trump wins, so angry are they with Biden for failing to stop the IDF’s campaign in Gaza. Now he is trying to win those voters back by his public breaking with Jerusalem, continuing to demand that before the IDF goes deeply into Rafah, Israel must present a comprehensive plan for how it intends to protect civilians in the city. As Israel has not done so, and continues to tighten the noose around Rafah, Biden has chosen to withhold “guided” bombs, as well as tank and artillery shells.
It may not have a decisive effect on a military offensive in Rafah. The IDF has sufficient stocks of munitions to complete that mission, although some ammunition may have to be rationed, potentially costing Israeli soldiers’ lives; and any shortage of precision weapons may have to be compensated by unguided bombs, which could cost some Gazan civilian lives.But Biden’s actions will certainly strengthen Hamas. Its survival depends on Israel being stopped from its advance into Rafah. The growing U.S.-led international pressure on Israel can only encourage Hamas to fight harder and longer.
Ninety-four retired American generals and admirals have just signed a letter deploring the Biden administration’s distancing itself from Israel by publicly criticizing its conduct of the war and by withholding weapons the IDF may not need immediately, but will certainly need in the near future, especially if Hezbollah continues its near-daily barrage of rockets into the northern Galilee, forcing the IDF to fight on a second front.
The terrorists’ only incentive to consider releasing hostages is a pause in hostilities to buy time and potentially lead to a full cessation. If those objectives can be achieved as a result of U.S. pressure, that incentive melts away and thus Biden’s policies reduce the prospects of getting the surviving hostages back, including American citizens, or at least raise the price of any who are released….
Only maximum military pressure on Hamas, not negotiations that go nowhere but are used as a stalling tactic by the terror group, will persuade it to surrender the hostages in a swap for Palestinian prisoners. But American pressure is now being exerted not on Hamas, but on the Israeli government to agree to a long — six-week — ceasefire, which might turn into a permanent cessation. In that case, why would Hamas any longer be interested in releasing any of the hostages? Fortunately, Prime Minister Netanyahu has shown his mettle more attractive; he is prepared to press forward with the IDF campaign in Rafah, no matter what pressure the Bidenites apply.
Israel and its American supporters will not forget that Biden tried to prevent the IDF from entering Rafah and crushing the last four intact battalions of Hamas fighters. Furthermore, his withholding of weapons for Israel will both prolong the war, and raise Hamas’ morale. If the Bidenites continue to withhold precision-guided munitions from the IDF, then less precise munitions will have to be used, resulting in more civilian casualties. Is that what the Bidenites want? And what impression do they think they are making on other American allies, such as Taiwan, who look with alarm at how this administration is treating its most loyal and most valuable ally?
The Bidenites should think again, release all the weapons they have been withholding, explain to the American people that the administration is now satisfied with how Israel is conducting its campaign in Rafah, and that it is now persuaded that the IDF has a workable plan to minimize civilian casualties “as it has done elsewhere in Gaza.” Biden may lose Michigan, even though those Arab and Muslim voters make up less than 3% of the population and less than 10% of the Democratic voters in that state. But even if he does lose in that state, there are 49 other states where support for Israel remains strong. Would he want to risk losing some of those voters, including many Jews and most of the 100 million of Evangelical Christians, for whom a candidate’s support for Israel remains a major concern?
Stive says
What really may be behind Bidens moves is to protect hezbolla which is Iran from a hard hit by israel. Everything now used in Rafah is less for hezbolla crushing.
Elections are so rigged whether hidden or blatant, I don’t buy the election vote thing at all.
Biden months ago had much navy in east med sea. It’s purpose was to protect hezbolla, to restrain hezbolla so Israel would not smash them then.
Israel’s final enemy in scripture is japeth, not Shem or ham, even if a few are used by japeth.
Biden goal is destruction of Israel and destruction of America. Americans are still too comfortable to topple the Biden junta as all peoples topple regimes when they are quite uncomfortable by munitions or bare hands.
maria says
why don´t the Americans doesn´t force new elections where only the real Americans vote.
NO muslims. there must be a hard control that there are no muslims and the leftists
And deport all the muslims before the elections and accept real Americans, and only voter ID in person
Stive says
And…., Biden does want Hamas to live and regroup but Biden doesn’t want the numerous and some very big tunnels from Sinai to Gaza to be found and destroyed. And evidence in those Rafah tunnels with documents, computers in offices and hard evidence may show china, Egypt and America directly supplied Hamas for years.
Wellington says
Biden screws up again, sometimes out of base motives as here respecting Rafah, other times due to just sheer incompetence. The man gets virtually nothing correct and has managed to become a parody of himself. His entire 50 plus years as a professional politician reads as one huge train wreck. He’s the Anthony Fauci of the political world.
tgusa says
“Biden has been trying desperately to prevent the IDF’s planned incursion into Rafah.”
There he is again sticking his nose where it don’t belong. Democrats like to do that and it is annoying. They are a party of Karen’s. Even their men are Karen’s. I would think he and they would be too busy micro-managing the amount of water in peoples toilets to get involved in this Israeli thing.
cornelius says
Michigan is certainly part of the equation. Younger voters are also a part of it. But Biden’s obsession with saving Rafah (and thus Hamas) is more about that staving on the perceived impending explosion of unrest in the mythical Arab/Muslim “street”…..a head-ache he just doesn’t want to have to deal with.
This was the same fear that precluded one President after another – Republican and Democrat alike – from daring to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Trump had the gonads to do so and lo and behold, aside from a couple of noisy demonstrations in Gaza, nothing happened.
James Lincoln says
According to the feature article:
“…any shortage of precision weapons may have to be compensated by unguided bombs, which could cost some Gazan civilian lives…”
Now, Israel can blame Biden for any future collateral damage that could have been prevented with precision weapons.
Kepha says
Our obsession with “negotiated settlement” has gotten us nowhere in the period after World War II. Since the implosion of the Soviet Union, we’ve seen a growing alliance of Russia, NorK, China, and Iran; while Turkey has become very “iffy” as an ally while Pakistan played a double game on us in Afghanistan. In our determination to make the world safe for sodomy, we are alienating Africa and most of what’s left of Asia. Good luck fighting World War Umpteen against the bulk of the Eurasian continent.
James Lincoln says
If the pause will allow bread-and-butter “Gazans” to leave Rafah, why would Hamas stay behind – and get killed?
somehistory says
They wouldn’t. And we know there are at least a ‘thousand’ of them in turkey.
If any people in the city are allowed to leave, the murderers will leave with them. And Israel has been fighting in northern Gaza against hamas….so how did they get back there? Did they not leave along with the others who fled to the south?
So much deceit comes from the ‘news’ reporters.
James Lincoln says
On-point, as usual, somehistory.
somehistory says
thank you, James. as always
tim gallagher says
I have seen Richard Kemp interviewed many times on the “Outsiders” program here in Australia on the Sky News network. Always very impressive. He is in Australia at the moment and so he was in the studio this morning being interviewed. Made a lot of sense as always. The interview is there on the internet. I googled Outsiders and clicked on the Ousiders Tv show and the 6 minute interview is there under the heading “Joe Biden desperate to appease Iran”. I still don’t get why the government of any western country would want to be keen to be friendly with Iran, with its evil, primitive load of shit of a mad mullahs’ regime. Is it Obama, behind the scenes, wanting to be buddies with the evil scum from Iran? Surely most Americans would loathe the scum in Iran.
dumbledoresarmy says
Melanie Phillips recently wrote an article about Mohammedan (specifically, Iranian Mohammedan) infiltration of the US State Department, by a Mohammedan female named “Ariane Tabatabai”, who was infiltrated into the State Department by Robert Malley (who was, quite probably, corrupt/ corrupted). Look it up” “Buried Facts About the Gaza War”. It explains a lot…
OLD GUY says
Sounds like there are way to many pro-muslim/islamic voters is America. Open borders and the migration invasion of your enemy results in a Presidents Foreign policy decision effecting a major allies battle with evil?
A true Biden decision making process, I need the VOTES so I can get re-elected, I’ll say anything, do anything and promise anything, so I can be the BIG GUY.
Rarely says
Imagine how many lives would have been saved (in the short run, of course) had the US simply ignored Pearl Harbor. How would Biden have handled it? Or 9/11 for that matter. (Mind you Dubya did screw up in his response to 9/11).
The October massacre put Israel in a no-win situation. Even a total destruction of Hamas is a short term solution. But Israel had to do something. I suspect that many mid-eastern Arab countries appreciate Israel’s response (note Jordan shooting down Iranian missiles). They would love to see the destruction of these terrorist groups which threaten them as well. By not supporting Israel whole-heartedly Biden emboldens these groups and must worry these other Arab countries.
What does American support mean today to America’s allies? Russia and China must be celebrating big time. The Ukraine must be shaking in it’s boots and a less than desirable peace agreement will likely be the end of that war now that American support carries less meaning.