Bernie Sanders’ Proposal to Cut Aid to Israel
Bernie Sanders just proposed cutting $10 billion in aid to Israel. It’s hard to disagree with him. At some point, Israel needs to understand that war and terrorism are not the same thing.
Netanyahu’s Controversial Actions
Right now, Prime Minister Netanyahu seems to think blowing up individuals while they are grocery shopping is a legal form of warfare. Even worse, Israel has a somewhat secret policy of forcing Palestinians off their land for new Israeli settlements during the current conflict. Everywhere else, this is considered terrorism.
U.S. Goals and Policies
Stopping this kind of behavior should be the U.S. goal. Do we really want to support what seems to be Israel’s attempt to broaden and win a much larger Arab-Israeli conflict? Cutting off enough aid now will make Netanyahu, and more importantly, the Israeli people, see that there is a limit to U.S. patience.
Conditions for Aid
Sure, we can build in provisions that the U.S. will adhere to when Israel stops violating human and world norms. We can continue to help keep Israel safe while also beginning to help reconstruct the destruction in Palestine and Lebanon. Seriously, we should hold on to the aid to Israel until they put someone in charge who is not Netanyahu.
Rebuilding Relationships in the Middle East
Rebuilding relationships in the Middle East will be long, arduous, and risky. It cannot begin until leaders of the key factions are replaced by leaders less interested in vengeance and more interested in peace. That is a big lift.
Senator Sanders’ Leadership
Once again, Senator Sanders steps up to the plate and calls balls and strikes correctly. This could put the Harris campaign in a tough spot. It will be hard for her to defend the current U.S. policy while trying to run a campaign of inclusion. That is too heavy a lift for any one individual.
Trump’s Stance
Former President Trump has never had any hesitation about killing folks he doesn’t like. Take the Central Park Five as just one example. His stance on Israel and Palestine has no nuance, making it easily digestible for those who already think of the world in terms of “us versus them.” Someone must present an alternative.
Biden’s Potential Role
President Biden could take up some of the load. He could tell Netanyahu publicly that the U.S. is done with his acts of terrorism. We will support a policy of self-defense and begin to tighten the screws on aid if anything like this happens again. To make sure Netanyahu gets the message, there must be a concrete step in slowing or stopping some specific military aid until we see progress.
Growing Opposition
There is already growing opposition to Netanyahu’s policies in Israel, by Israelis. Presumably, there are some in Palestine and Lebanon who are also sick and tired of being sick and tired. It is time U.S. policy shifted some of its focus to a policy of hope, not vengeance. Joe Biden is still President. This could be his final great accomplishment.
Shifting U.S. Funding
We should begin to shift U.S. funding in the Middle East from military aid to supporting those who want to rebuild the region. Cut military aid in favor of demonstrable economic success. Ms. Harris could run a winning campaign on that policy.
