The deadly Hamas militant attack on Israel and the massive retaliation it provoked from Jerusalem have thrust President Joe Biden into a Middle East crisis that risks expanding into a broader conflict and has left him fending off criticism from GOP presidential rivals that his administration’s policies led to this moment.
The potential for prolonged and expanding violence could test Biden’s leadership on both the world stage and at home as he tries to navigate between demonstrating unflinching support for Israel and fostering a broader peace in the combustible Mideast, where sympathetic militants were quick to loudly praise the action by Hamas. Hundreds have been killed on both sides.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah group welcomed the attack as a response to “Israeli crimes.” The Iran-backed group, which holds similar goals as Hamas for the destruction of the Israeli state, fired rockets and shells on Sunday at three Israeli positions, drawing a response from Israel’s military with armed drones. A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader lauded the operation by Hamas, which said it was ready for a potentially long fight.
Several 2024 Republican presidential contenders immediately tried to pin a portion of the blame on Biden. They sought to tie his recent decision to release $6 billion in blocked Iranian funds in exchange for freeing five Americans who had been detained in Iran to Saturday’s complex attack by air, land and sea. The White House pushed back fiercely against the GOP criticism, noting that the money unfrozen last month in the prisoner swap has yet to be spent by Iran and can only be used for humanitarian needs.
I’m going to go ahead and take the daring stance that Joe Biden is not to blame for every Israeli-Palistinian conflict. There is in fact more than one axis to view the world and we don’t have to blame either Democrats or Republicans for an attack in a longstanding conflict on the other side of the world.
I’m fairly comfortable with Biden passing a Presidental test. What I do worry about is a dysfunctional c9ngress.
Well the house is functionally incapacitated at the moment, so it’s ability to fuck things us across the globe is minimized.
So,at least for a little while, it’s a non functional congress.
Good lord can the GOP pick better fights and not be stupid as fuck? Please stop doing the be stupid challenge…
They prefer sound bytes to policy.
GOP try not to take all attention is good attention literally Challenge: IMPOSSIBLE
Biden: “I unreservedly give Israel my full support.”
Republicans: “no! You’re not supporting them hard enough!”
What a clown show Republicans are.
This will have implications for the speaker race, Ukraine Aid and the budget. Good luck Joe, looks like an even tougher road ahead
criticism from GOP presidential rivals that his administration’s policies led to this moment.
They behave like a bunch of drunks.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The deadly Hamas militant attack on Israel and the massive retaliation it provoked from Jerusalem have thrust President Joe Biden into a Middle East crisis that risks expanding into a broader conflict and has left him fending off criticism from GOP presidential rivals that his administration’s policies led to this moment.
The potential for prolonged and expanding violence could test Biden’s leadership on both the world stage and at home as he tries to navigate between demonstrating unflinching support for Israel and fostering a broader peace in the combustible Mideast, where sympathetic militants were quick to loudly praise the action by Hamas.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry in a statement did not condemn the Hamas attack, but noted the kingdom’s “repeated warnings of the dangers … of the situation as a result of the continued occupation, the deprivation of the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights, and the repetition of systematic provocations against its sanctities.”
Jonathan Schanzer, an analyst at the Washington think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Biden did “a good job” at keeping Israel’s critics, particularly his fellow Democrats, at bay while Netanyahu sought to achieve his military objectives against Hamas during their last major conflict, an 11-day war in 2021.
In a briefing with Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff on Saturday, administration officials said the U.S. had warned Iran “through interlocutors” that direct involvement in the Gaza situation would imperil any future initiatives the U.S. might consider with the Islamic Republic, according to a congressional aide familiar with the session.
Another point of criticism leveled at the administration by Republicans is that its decision shortly after taking office to reverse a Trump-era ban on assistance to the Palestinians, including civilians in Gaza, may have helped fund the operation.
The original article contains 1,196 words, the summary contains 295 words. Saved 75%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
noting that the money unfrozen last month in the prisoner swap has yet to be spent by Iran and can only be used for humanitarian needs.
Dude doesn’t understand that money is fungible? Or are they hoping the listeners don’t know that?
It can only be used for humanitarian needs and it is their money to begin with.
You just rephrased the passage I quoted. How does using this money for humanitarian purposes prevent them from using other money for a different purpose?
What is to prevent them? Well, nothing since Trump tore up an international treaty with them. But, that is true of their complete economy. Barring an agreement, Iran can and probably will be a human rights violator and the US can only apply sanctions that they can.
Right, so I don’t understand what you were trying to get at with your initial comment. Sounds like we’re in agreement here.
Whatever rings your bell. Fact of the matter is that South Korea owed this money to Iran, and short of stealing it somehow there was no question they would get it. Now at least what it buys is controlled a bit.
