Israel strives to tame US president

3 min read EUGENIO GARCIA GASCON 0 comments

EUGENIO GARCIA GASCON

Just a few weeks ago, the White House warned about Israel's foreseeable political interference in the United States, a circumstance that has occurred regularly for many years. The notice comes in the middle of the electoral campaign, when there are just a few months left before Americans go to the polls in November in a vote that could mark the future of the United States and the West.

In March, the president of Congress considered inviting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give a speech on Capitol Hill, an announcement that strangely has not been discussed again. It would not be the first time that an Israeli leader speaks from that podium, and precisely at a time when relations between the two nuclear powers are going through a delicate period.

It would be quite a challenge for Netanyahu to travel to Washington just as the Middle East is, upside down, although it must be remembered that the prime minister already did so under Barack Obama on the eve of the nuclear deal with Iran. On that occasion, in which Obama was significantly not present in Congress, Netanyahu attacked the administration without mincing words and was applauded by the congressmen louder and for longer than any American president, which gives an idea of Israel's influence in the US capital.

The cheers that continually interrupted Netanyahu's speech not only have to do with Israel's influence in Washington, but also indicate how far Netanyahu's impudence can go. On that occasion, Joe Biden was vice president and had the opportunity to feel firsthand the challenge of Israel, something that he had already felt directly on other occasions, such as when he visited the Jewish state and Netanyahu greeted him approving the massive construction of housing for settlers. Jews in the occupied territories.

Just a few days ago, Netanyahu approved the construction of more homes in the occupied West Bank, a statement of intent that must not have pleased Biden. With this announcement, Netanyahu insists on putting on the table the strength that he has in Washington, where the decision has been criticized, but no punitive measure has been adopted to amend the growing colonial expansion of the Jewish state.

Netanyahu does and undoes as he pleases and as long as he is prime minister there is no possibility of a peace agreement with the Palestinians, especially if we look at the actions of the Western powers, where from time to time some vague critical statement is made regarding the gallery, but from where an army that in recent months has needlessly and mercilessly destroyed most of the Gaza Strip is fed with all kinds of weapons and bombs.

On the one hand, we have these criticisms of Israel, including those from the United States, and on the other, we have the daily supply of bombs that, according to a good part of Western public opinion - including some American senators such as Elizabeth Warren - serve to facilitate the exercise of continued genocide. The images circulating are terrible and it is understandable that Hebrew television stations censor themselves. The average Israeli is in favor of war and the systematic destruction of the Gaza Strip, according to polls, and does not want to see disturbing images at dinner time.

But it is not clear whether the fight between Biden and Netanyahu is real or mere fiction. If all the data are weighed, the result is that the supply of weapons has not stopped for a single day since October 7 and that the criticism has not been effective in any sense, especially the humanitarian one. The number of aid trucks entering the Strip has increased in recent days, but is still insufficient to deal with the magnitude of the tragedy.

President Biden must tread very carefully when the polls are so close to opening, and cannot seek a direct clash with Netanyahu, who so far has managed to remain in office and will undoubtedly do everything he can. within their reach to continue in the future, even beyond the American elections in November. The context invites us to closely follow the evolution of the situation, although nothing indicates that before the American elections there will be radical changes regarding Israel.