President Biden Travels to Israel Amid War
President Biden announced plans to visit Israel while Iran threatened a “preemptive action” if the IDF enters Gaza to root out Hamas terrorists. Also, Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-4) is not the House Speaker after failing to get the required 217 votes. What does this mean for Congress moving forward?
But let’s start with Biden’s forthcoming trip to Israel. Fox News reports:
President Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday as he tries to send a message of his administration’s commitment to the Jewish state amid its war with Hamas.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed the visit Monday night, saying the visit will happen “at a critical moment for Israel, for the region, and for the world.”
“The president will reaffirm the United States solidarity with Israel and our ironclad commitment to its security,” a White House official said.
President Biden’s trip is a show of solidarity with Israel and is a hugely positive move by the Administration. Biden also moved the USS Eisenhower and the USS Gerald R. Ford to the region to offer support to Israel, sending a message to Hamas and Iran that the U.S. Navy is ready to defend Israel – if need be.
The hostage crisis continues too, as more countries start to put pressure on the terrorist group to release hostages. When you’re dealing with the Middle East, you must think nine-dimensionally. So don’t be shocked if Hamas starts releasing non-Israeli hostages (Americans, French, Germans, etc.) soon in a chess move to lessen global pressure.
With Biden’s pending visit, I don’t think you’ll see the incursion into Gaza that’s big enough to eradicate Hamas entirely. Remember, the Israeli objective with Hamas is to eliminate Hamas as both a political threat and a governing threat. The terrorist group must be totally removed. We’ll see how Israel decides to move forward with its mission.
Also, how does Iran fit into the escalating conflict in the Middle East? No doubt, Hamas is a proxy of Iran. Will Iran become fully engaged if Israel enters Gaza after threatening to do so?
The ACLJ is diligently working to defend Israel, and we are starting to hear the term “proportionality” thrown about to castigate Israel’s incursion into Gaza. Yet the Law of Armed Conflict permits Israel to defend itself and take out Hamas.
ACLJ Senior Counsel CeCe Heil explains:
So the Law of Armed Conflict absolutely governs this, and proportionality is one of the principles under the Law of Armed Conflict. And we are seeing a spin being made on that; basically, they’re saying proportionality means it’s an apple for an apple and that how many people are being killed. And we’re comparing numbers, and that is not what proportionality requires. In fact, there is a standard for self-defense under proportionality that says the victim of the attack, which is Israel, can eliminate the existing threat. So that’s the true proportionality rule that Israel has the right to absolutely eliminate the threat.
Everyone must remember this: Israel has the right under international law to defend itself and eliminate the threat, i.e., the Hamas regime.
This might sound extreme, but it’s not. Hamas’ attack resulted in the largest loss of Jewish lives in a single day since the Holocaust. Israel isn’t going to go into Gaza and kill 2,000 Hamas terrorists and say it’s a “proportional” response. No, they are going to ensure this type of attack never happens again by removing Hamas as a terrorist threat forever.
We sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken explaining why this “proportionality” argument is an improper attempt to condemn Israel. We will also take this letter to the U.N. as we defend Israel.
President Biden will also reportedly offer alternative strategies to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza amid fears of a prolonged conflict in the Middle East. Yesterday, we told you how Biden began to offer caveats and limitations regarding the U.S.’s support of Israel. Will the Administration continue to support Israel fully in the days ahead?
As I mentioned, the ACLJ is petitioning world leaders to support Israel’s efforts to defend herself and destroy Hamas. Last week, we sent letters to the U.N. Secretary-General, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the Council of Europe, INTERPOL, and the U.N. Commission of Inquiry. We are also preparing a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu through our brand-new petition. Sign our petition to make your voice be heard on Israel’s behalf.
Today’s Sekulow broadcast also featured ACLJ Senior Advisor for National Security and Foreign Policy Ric Grenell to discuss the Administration’s motivations for Biden’s upcoming trip to Israel. We also fully analyzed the improper “proportionality” argument that’s being used to condemn Israel and today’s vote for the Speaker of the House.
Watch the full broadcast below: