Just days after Vice President Kamala Harris declined to answer whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was an ally of the U.S., White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted that Israel’s security has the Biden-Harris administration’s “continued support.” Experts say the administration and the Harris campaign continue to shift positions on their support of the Jewish state depending on political expediency.
During Wednesday’s White House press briefing, Jean-Pierre stated, “I think what you have seen from this administration is the continued support for Israel’s security. … When Iran attacked Israel, the president directed his military to protect Israel. He was very proud to be able to do that, and that support continues.”
The messaging stands in stark contrast to the numerous instances of the Biden-Harris administration publicly rebuking and hindering Netanyahu’s military response to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel last year. The administration has prohibited refugees from fleeing Gaza, continually withheld shipments of arms to Israel, pressured the Jewish state to provide aid in Gaza despite admitting that much of it is being seized by Hamas, demanded a ceasefire despite dozens of Israeli hostages still being held captive in Gaza, and demanded a controversial “two-state solution,” among numerous other public rebukes of Netanyahu.
On Wednesday, Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) further highlighted how the Biden-Harris administration has undermined Israel since October 7 during “Washington Watch.”
“[R]emember, they delayed a shipment of very necessary weapons back in the springtime,” he noted. “Recently, President Biden tried to influence them in their attack against nuclear facilities. So they have been putting obstacles in the way of the Israelis ever since October 7th, a year ago. … We need to be fully behind Israel.”
Self went on to contend that the Biden-Harris administration is now shifting its messaging regarding the Middle East conflict for political gain. “[I]t is a shift in policy. Look, they’ve been pandering to the students with student loans. They’re now pandering to the Jewish community. They’ve been pandering for years to the Muslim community in Michigan, for instance. So they will pander wherever they think they need to.”
Self, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee as well as the Veterans Affairs Committee, further argued that the U.S. must stand firmly in support of Israel.
“If we’re going to stand in their way of doing what’s in the interest of the Israeli people, then we are not doing our job of defending our best ally in the Middle East, the only democracy in the Middle East,” he said. “I called upon the president to release all of the armaments that we have approved for Israel, as well as start enforcing the sanctions against Iran. Five colleagues joined me in that letter, and we expect the administration to support Israel.”
The congressman went on to speculate that the administration’s sudden change of heart may have been spurred on by consistent polling showing that a clear majority of Americans support Israel’s multi-front war against Islamist terrorism. “They realize there’s a majority of the American people that want them to support Israel,” Self observed. “… [T]hey realize they were making a mistake with the majority of the American people who do support Israel and do want them to defend Israel and help defend Israel against Iran.”
Former Congressman and guest host Jody Hice agreed, positing that the administration has no consistent vision when forming its policies. “[I]t’s all just flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop. … [T]here is no compass. There appears to be no inner conviction whatsoever to stand for Israel.”
Self concurred. “I think we see that in issues well beyond Israel, people are realizing they have no core principles, they have no core beliefs, they have no core policies that they will enforce. They do what is exigent at the time. … [T]he flip-flops on many issues [reflect] the lack of policy on many issues. The Harris campaign has no core foundation, and people are starting to realize that.”
Dan Hart is senior editor at The Washington Stand.