Jim Hartman
President Joe Biden delivered a widely praised speech in response to the surprise invasion of Israel by Hamas terrorists and their brutal massacre of 1,400 innocent Israelis and at least 30 Americans.
Biden’s Oct. 10 speech expressing steadfast support for Israel won bipartisan approval, including from former President George W. Bush.
“There are moments in this life,” Biden said, “when pure unadulterated evil is unleashed in the world. This was an act of sheer evil.”
And there was a forceful warning:
“To any country, any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of this situation, I have one word: Don’t.”
Missing from Biden’s remarks was any reference to Iran. Hamas terrorists are controlled by Iran.
The Wall Street Journal reported Iran gave approval for Hamas’s bloody assault at an Oct. 2 meeting in Beirut. Biden officials insist they have no “specific evidence” of Iran’s approval. But Iran has long been the chief military benefactor of Hamas as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
An Israeli response that includes a ground assault into Gaza could be the excuse for Hezbollah to open a second front in Israel’s north.
Hezbollah receives an estimated $700 million a year from Iran, and it has missile stockpiles exceeding 100,000 with greater accuracy than rockets fired from Gaza. They could target most of Israel. Any Hezbollah attack would also require Iran’s approval.
Biden’s tough talk and deployment of two carrier strike groups to the area are a show of support for Israel. But will it be heeded by the Iranians?
For three years Biden has tried to accommodate the mullahs in Tehran.
His administration ended President Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign. It relaxed enforcement of sanctions on Iran’s oil sales, which has been worth tens of billions.
The most recent “understanding” before the Hamas invasion was for Iran to slow its uranium enrichment for a bomb while the U.S. would let Iran have billions of dollars held by Iraq and North Korea. This included the $6 billion that was part of the trade for five Americans held hostage by Iran.
Nevada Democratic Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto broke with Biden after the Hamas assault and called for re-freezing Iranian assets.
With Republicans and a growing number of Democrats objecting, Biden reversed course and agreed to deny Iran access to the $6 billion in oil proceeds.
Biden has also failed to respond aggressively when Iranian proxies have attacked Americans. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Congress Iran or its proxies have launched 83 attacks on Americans since Biden took office, but the U.S. has responded militarily only four times.
Iran clearly interprets this as a sign of U.S. weakness. The Hamas assault should convince Biden that Iran has no good intentions. It will order its proxies to strike when it serves its purposes and sees a vulnerability.
For three years Biden has tried to appease Iran’s revolutionary ambitions. That policy has failed with the Iranian-backed slaughter in Israel.
Will Biden recognize reality and reverse his appeasement strategy? He needs to return to a “maximum pressure” strategy.
The GOP presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump, has a strong record of support for Israel, including moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem that other presidents promised but failed to deliver and the Abraham Accords between Israel and Arab states.
But Trump can’t help from making everything about himself.
He volunteered that terrorist group Hezbollah, sworn to Israel’s destruction, is “very smart.”
In his ramblings, Trump criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Hamas’s deadly invasion for declining to participate in the 2020 U.S. operation to kill Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. He also expressed anger at Netanyahu for publicly acknowledging Biden won the 2020 election.
His leading GOP presidential rivals, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, slammed Trump’s dissing of Netanyahu while Israel is under attack.
E-mail Jim Hartman at lawdocman1@aol.com.