W.J. Astore
The Costs of Blanket Support of Israel and Ukraine
This morning, three headlines caught my eye from the various news sources I subscribe to. The first came from Reuters: "Israeli tanks batter hospital districts" in Gaza. Here's the short synopsis from Reuters:
Israeli forces relentlessly bombarded areas around two hospitals in Gaza's main southern city Khan Younis, pinning down large numbers of displaced people, residents said, in an offensive to take Hamas' main stronghold in the enclave's south. Follow the latest on the conflict.
The United Nations said that Israeli tanks struck a huge U.N. compound in Gazasheltering displaced Palestinians, causing "mass casualties." Israel denied its forces were responsible and suggested Hamas may have launched the shelling. The attack prompted rare outright condemnation from the United States.
The second headline came from CNN and also focused on Gaza: "Red Cross warns of complete medical shutdown in Gaza." Here's a short synopsis of that story:
The Red Cross has warned that Gaza faces a complete medical shutdown unless immediate action is taken to safeguard essential services. "Every functioning hospital in the Gaza Strip is over-crowded and short on medical supplies, fuel, food and water," said William Schomburg, the head of the Red Cross office in Gaza. This comes as Israeli forces have insisted that Hamas systematically operates in Gaza hospitals and adjacent areas, "using the residents as human shields." Meanwhile, a United Nations building sheltering displaced Palestinians was hit by Israeli tank fire on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people and injuring 75 others. The White House said it is "gravely concerned" by the strike as Israel pushes forward with its military campaign.
It's nice to know the U.S. government is "gravely concerned" even as it sends more tank shells to Israel so that the destruction of Gaza and its hospitals can continue apace.
The third headline came from journalist Aaron Maté and focuses on the almost forgotten war in Ukraine: "Biden's $60 billion plan for Ukraine: prolong the war through 2024: As US weapons shipments to Ukraine dry up, Biden's $60 billion request faces new hurdles in Washington."
And then I saw this image on Twitter/X. Given the horrendous events in Gaza, this satirical image doesn't seem that extreme to me:
Biden's unequivocal support for Israel's genocide in Gaza gives the lie to the concept of a "rules-based order" that America allegedly upholds and protects. As Biden expresses his "grave concern" about Israeli war crimes in Gaza, he keeps sending the weapons that make possible the very crimes he allegedly deplores. At the same time, his administration is opening a new front in this war with its deadly attacks on Yemen. Biden has said the bombing raids against Yemen aren't stopping attacks on shipping even as he vows to continue them.
Meanwhile, Biden continues to fight for at least $60 billion for Ukraine in a stalemated war that's killing untold thousands of Ukrainians and Russians. The aid that Biden wants to send this year won't end that war; it won't even give Ukraine a decisive edge. Most experts believe this aid will merely prolong the fighting, meaning more destruction and dead bodies on both sides.
The Biden administration's embrace of genocide in Gaza and brutal indecisive war in Ukraine highlights the moral bankruptcy of its foreign policy. On the campaign trail, Biden is increasingly being confronted by protesters calling him out for his brutal and militaristic foreign policy. "Genocide Joe" is a nickname that stings because there's truth in it.
When the main message of the Biden campaign is "Vote for Joe because Trump's worse" and yet Joe's latest nickname is linked to genocide, it doesn't bode well for electoral victory in November.
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