U.S. Politics
“Let me be clear: The House Republican Conference condemns this language,” says House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that in total, America will provide $360 million in support for the Palestinians and that America will “work with partners to ensure that Hamas does not benefit from these reconstruction efforts.”
He leaves at the behest of U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss follow-up efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and reduce the risk of the conflict reigniting in the coming months.
It is also likely to focus on strengthening ties between Israel and Muslim countries; and attempting to foster unity between Palestinian factions in Gaza and the West Bank, adversarial relationships that instigated the hostilities that began in full on May 10.
Michael Ratney served as consul general in Jerusalem under former President Barack Obama, and later, as a special envoy to Syria.
The United States “has a deep and consistent interest” in doing its best to “take down this terror—this campaign against Israel, the ‘Little Satan’—that ultimately could grow into an Iranian campaign against the ‘Great Satan,’ the United States.”
A guide to the Biden administration’s first moves and initial set of senior officials.
They have been calling into question this ironclad support for Israel. In recent months, legislation has been by Democrats such as Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) to condition U.S. aid to Israel over its policies towards the Palestinians.
Meanwhile, House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) approved $735 million in precision-guided missiles to Israel.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib said reading official U.S. statements, one “would hardly know that Palestinians existed,” and that there has been no recognition of home demolitions or evictions, the detaining of children, sustained harassment of worshippers at Al-Aqsa mosque or of Palestinian humanity.
In national press briefings and internationally, the United States has backed up a pledge to defend its ally. But that comes against pressure by progressive lawmakers and even some more moderate congress members who have issued statements that can be perceived as having moral equivalency between Israeli and Palestinian actions.
“American silence on Iran’s involvement in Gaza is shocking. They are so eager to sign another nuclear agreement that that they don’t want to antagonize Iran,” said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S. policy in the Middle East at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan.
