Israel and Hamas: The Middle East under Biden following the chaotic footsteps of Obama
Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The latest crisis between the government of Israel and Palestinians is following a similar pattern that befell the Middle East during the Barack Obama period. Under the Obama administration, of which the current President Joe Biden played a prominent role, the Middle East was in turmoil. Therefore, it isn’t a shock that the early Biden period is following a similar pattern.
This relates to the deliberate destabilization of Egypt, Libya, and Syria by the Obama administration along with other major players. Likewise, nations in the Sahel suffered because Sunni Islamists utilized the chaos and spread death far and wide. Similarly, in Afghanistan under Biden, refugees will flee the ensuing chaos – just like the destabilization of Libya and Syria ushered in millions of refugees (and economic migrants) fleeing to Europe – and this will boost terrorist networks, drug cartels, and migrant smuggling.
Iraq, in turn, was destabilized once more because events in Syria boosted ISIS (Islamic State) during its infancy period. This, in turn, led to ISIS growing in power in Iraq that resulted in major massacres against the Shia, the enslavement and murder of Yazidis, and the cleansing of Christians and other minorities. Indeed, NATO Turkey became a staging post for international Sunni jihadists who sought to cleanse, kill and enslave Alawites, Christians, Shia Muslims, the Yazidis, and others. Meanwhile, Yemen collapsed on the watch of the Obama administration.
Interestingly, when turning to Yemen and the Palestinian question, some in Israel blame the Biden administration for its policies in encouraging Iran and Islamic terrorist networks. Professor Eytan Gilboa, Bar-Ilan University, is an expert on the policies of America in the Middle East. Concerning Biden lifting the terrorist mantle from the Houthis (supported by Iran) and then providing funds without major strings to the Palestinians, then the Houthis and Hamas became emboldened against Saudi Arabia and Israel respectively.
Gilboa said, “Hamas and Islamic Jihad were looking and saying to themselves that if the US restored this aid unconditionally, then we can do whatever we want.”
The Houthis in Yemen are an embattled religious group thus the crisis is extremely complex. Yet, the meddling of Iran in Yemen and Gaza means that elites in Tehran utilize various proxies throughout the region against Israel. Hence, the Biden administration – along with Biden’s desire to restart the nuclear deal with Iran – seems weak in the eyes of Iran. Therefore, with recent covert actions by Israel in Iraq and Iran concerning Tehran’s capabilities under former President Trump and the current leader Biden, it appears that Biden’s approach is encouraging Iran to meddle into the internal affairs of Israel by playing the Palestinian and Hamas card.
Turning to events unfolding now in Israel and Gaza. The BBC reports, “Hamas militants have launched dozens of rockets at Israel after Israeli air strikes killed senior commanders and felled a multi-storey building in Gaza.”
This follows on from tensions that erupted in East Jerusalem earlier in the week concerning Israeli-Palestinian clashes. Hamas immediately responded by reigning down rockets on Israel. In turn, Israel retaliated by targeting Hamas and other proxies of Iran. Hence, the death toll increased in Gaza to approximately 65 while deaths reached 7 in Israel.
More worryingly for Israel, tensions have erupted into violence between Arabs and Jews internally. Iran will be watching this carefully. Thus fears persist that fighting will increase in other parts of the Middle East based on tit-for-tat intrigues.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said, “Nothing can justify an Arab mob assaulting Jews, and nothing can justify a Jewish mob assaulting Arabs.”
Irrespective of a pro-Israeli, pro-Palestinian, or Pro-Iran slant, one thing certain is that the Middle East under Biden is following the footsteps of Obama. Thus expect more bloodshed throughout the region and Iran’s and Turkey’s desire of creating tensions between Israel and recent Muslim nations that have opened better relations with this country.
https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/biden-failed-the-rockets-and-riots-test-analysis-667920
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57094737
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