Biden Must Choose: Netanyahu or Democracy?

Last week, President Joe Biden announced that the United States will establish a temporary port in Gaza to get more aid to Palestinians.

His team hopes that this will be enough to make up for his wildly unpopular Israel policy and revive his fledgling campaign.

They have another thing coming. Biden’s overwhelming support for Israel’s bloody crusade against Gaza has already turned off huge swaths of crucial voters—and some additional aid is far from enough to bring them back.

Ultimately, Biden’s decision to cozy up for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for months could cost us our democracy.

In what world is the murder of tens of thousands of innocent civilians—most of whom are women and children—just “over the top?”

In recent weeks, tens of thousands of Democratic voters took to the polls to show that they’re seeking an alternative to Biden. More than 100,000 Democratic primary voters in Michigan—a crucial swing state—cast ballots for “uncommitted” in the race. In Minnesota, about 1 in 5 Democrats cast an “uncommitted” ballot. And in Washington state this week, more than 48,000 voters selected “uncommitted.”

My organization, Emgage Action—which organizes and mobilizes Muslim voters and many other groups and constituencies—has been sounding the alarm about Biden’s actions since Israel began its indiscriminate slaughter. The administration scoffed and requested billions in funding for Israel’s war.

It’s only recently, after Biden saw the massive hit to his poll figures, that the administration has taken any action to rein in Netanyahu. But even that has been insufficient—hardly enough to change Israeli behavior. In early February, for example, he said Netanyahu’s actions were “over the top.”

Over the top? In what world is the murder of tens of thousands of innocent civilians—most of whom are women and children—just “over the top?” That’s a phrase one might use to describe a parent who overreacted a bit to a child’s behavior—not one of the most powerful countries in the world pillaging a poor, defenseless community.

And then, for months, the administration refused to call for an immediate, permanent cease-fire. Occasionally, officials would hide behind the term “humanitarian pause.”

It was early March when the Biden administration finally embraced the term “cease-fire” with a speech from Vice President Kamala Harris. But she only called for a temporary stop to the violence. And there was barely a word about Israel’s unprecedented brutal attacks.

And now, Biden has announced a new port. Yes, we need to get more aid to Gaza. But we’re still funding the attacks that are causing Palestinians to need aid in the first place.

To put all of this in perspective: Russia has killed about 30,000 Ukrainians since it invaded the nation two years ago. Israel has killed about the same number of innocent Gazans in just six months, with U.S. support. And yet, Russia’s actions have been condemned since day one. Israel, on the other hand, has received millions of dollars of U.S. funding and three U.S. vetoes at the United Nations.

Huge swaths of Americans—especially the Muslim and Arab communities—have begged Biden to stand up to Netanyahu. A recent ISPU poll shows that virtually all religious groups—Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Evangelicals, and more—are far more supportive of a permanent cease-fire than against it. And 52% of Americans believe that the United States should halt weapons shipments to Israel until it stops attacking Gaza—compared to just 27% who want to continue shipments—according to a new YouGov poll commissioned by the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Now, many of these people aren’t planning to show up at the polls in November—or are seeking alternate options. That could very easily propel former President Donald Trump back to the White House.

There’s a grand irony here: Biden’s big pitch for the presidency is that he will preserve U.S. democracy. But through his support for Netanyahu, he may very well destroy it.

After all, Trump has proven time and time again that he will destroy every morsel of our democratic process without a qualm. He’ll install loyalists that back his every move. He’ll suppress voters, ignore election results, and break laws he doesn’t like. If he makes his way back to the White House, there’s a strong likelihood that he’ll never leave.

It’s not an understatement that a Trump 2024 win could mean the end of our democracy.

There’s no question: President Biden has put his re-election campaign—and our country—in jeopardy. All to appease Netanyahu.