Dr. Shaher Zakaria
In a speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday that was filled with deceptions and fabrications, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was defiant and critical as he tried to increase American support for Israel’s 10-month war against Hamas in Gaza. Netanyahu has been condemned over the high Palestinian death toll and faces growing domestic and international pressure to make a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza in exchange for stopping the war. The Prime Minister’s critics have accused him of prolonging the war for political gain. He is the first world leader to address a joint meeting of Congress four times.
Outside the United States Capitol, protests erupted against the speech as Netanyahu criticized the protestors, the International Criminal Court, and desperately made a link between Israel’s fight and the United States fight against terrorism to gain further American backing, as members of congress engaged in abdominal exercises of giving the prime minister countless standing ovations. Netanyahu thanked the U.S. for its continuous security assistance; however, he did urge Congress to fast-track additional military aid stating that it would end the war sooner.
His address comes at a tumultuous period in U.S. politics. Former President Trump survived an assassination attempt and President Biden ended his reelection campaign on Sunday. Dozens of Democrats boycotted the speech. Vice president Kamala Harris who usually presides over join meetings of Congress was not in attendance. Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Senator patty Murray of Washington who is next in line to fill in the Seat of Harriss skipped the address as well. Democrat House member out of Michigan, Rashida Tlaib, who was censured by the House over her Israel comments, held up a black sign during the address that read, “war criminal” and “guilty of genocide.”
Currently Israel has the most extreme right-wing government in its history. Netenyahu has been clear about his position of opposing any Palestinian State. If he agreed to even discuss the possibility of Palestinian statehood, his coalition government would no longer exist, and he would see himself out of office. Furthermore, to avoid any continuous pressure of a Palestinian statehood, Netenyahu has been an advocate of the old trick in the book of ‘divide and conquer.’ He has encouraged others to provide hundreds of millions of dollars to Hamas, knowing that the organization would never negotiate, further weakening the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank who are willing to negotiate with Israel.
Today, both sides of the American political aisle compete to see who is a better friend to Israel. President Biden has been one of the staunchest pro-Israel politicians in American history. He famously once said that if there was no Israel in the region the United States would have to invent an Israel to protect its interest in the region. Many ask where does this American support for Israel come from? There are cultural factors and geostrategic factors. While certainly the pro-Israeli lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is one of these reasons, it is hardly the only one. In terms of cultural factors, it’s important to note that Christian Zionism, which goes back before Jewish Zionism particularly in England and among British Elites is another reason for support to Israel. It is part of the motive for the Balfour Declaration and British support for Jewish colonization of Palestine. American Christian Evangelicals, who take Biblical commands literally, are massive supporters of Israel as they believe that Palestine should be occupied by Jews to realize the lessons of the Bible. Another reason is colonization. Countries that are most strongly in support of Israel, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, France, and Great Britain are settler colonial societies, in which the settlers occupied a land and drove out the native population driven by religious principles.
Geo-strategically, the Pentagon was very impressed with Israel’s military potential since its foundation, recognizing its potential as a strong base for US power in the region. 1967 is when the current relations with Israel was truly established. Israel provided the United States a major service by destroying a secular Arab nationalist country, Egypt, and the idea of Arab nationalism.
This American support sometimes put’s American interests at risk. It shows the United States as weak in front of Israeli demands as it always bows down to them as well as losing credibility around the world for being the beacon of hope, justice, and advocate for human rights. Human rights matter when it is Israel that is under attack, however Palestinian lives and human rights don’t, as they are not seen as equals to the Israelis. This support sometimes puts Israel’s interest ahead of American interest. The incident on the USS Liberty warship shows just that. The USS Liberty was a technical research ship that was attacked by Israeli Air Force fighter jets and Navy motor torpedo boats on 8th June 1967 during the Six-Day War as the ship was in international waters north of the Sinai Peninsula. The attack killed 34 crew members and wounded 171 and severely damaged the ship.
The attack was designed to show that Egypt attacked the ship to bring the United States into the war with Israel against Egypt. However, the American flag was visible on the ship, yet the Israeli military decided to attack it anyway. Israeli and US governments performed inquiries and concluded the attack was a case of mistaken identity. Survivors of the attack on the other hand have rejected these conclusions and state that there is overwhelming evidence suggesting that the attack was deliberate. They also maintain that President Lyndon Johnson and his defense secretary, Robert McNamara, covered up for Israel and ordered the inquiry to conclude that the attack was an accident. Fast forward to today, and there seems to be no chance in an American policy shift towards the Israeli-Palestinian issue. In fact, American support to Israel has not declined and will not in the foreseeable future. Israel will continue with its offensive as long as American ammunition and support doesn’t run out, disregarding the international community and international law.
Dr. Shaher Zakaria is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at Lusail University – Doha, Qatar.
Dr. Shaher Zakaria is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at Lusail University – Doha, Qatar.
