By Fikret Akfırat
In the end, the cat is out of the bag. Biden said, “Netanyahu must go.” Biden made this statement during a fundraising event hosted by Lee Rosenberg, the former chairman of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), in Washington. He stated, “Netanyahu is a good friend, but I think we need a change.” AIPAC is an influential organization in American politics. It is also known for its donations by super-rich individuals of Jewish origin, and holds sway over many Senators and Members of the House of Representatives in both the Republican and Democratic parties. Biden’s statement can be considered a planned move, likely coordinated with the AIPAC circle.
What is behind?
So where did this statement come from, and why now? To understand this, first examine the situation before the Hamas’ Operation Al-Aqsa Storm: Before October 7th, deep divisions within the Israeli state apparatus, including the military, intelligence agencies, parliament, and the overall administration, were evident. Over the past five years, the deepening political instability led to consecutive elections, the formation and dissolution of coalitions and fragmented governments. Protests against the judiciary reform proposed by the Netanyahu government continued nationwide for months. Former intelligence officials, ex-military leaders, and politicians rallied against Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, in the US, debates were intensifying on how to keep a balance between supporting Israel and the overall decline of Washington’s influence in West Asia. The prevailing trend within the US state was to move away from Netanyahu’s line, which was seen as causing new problems with traditional allies US at a time when the situation was already unfavorable for Washington in the region.
The report from the Israeli military intelligence agency AMAN in July, stating that Israel is at a “historic low point” and creating favorable opportunities for its enemies, is based on these two factors. Two months before Hamas’ Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, on August 10, 2023, the report highlighted that a “weakening is being perceived by enemies” in all aspects of “the strength of the Israeli armed forces, strong ties with the US, a robust economy, and internal unity” (reported by Haaretz, citing Yedioth Ahronoth, July 28, 2023).
The US all isolated
In this context, we arrive at October 7th. Since that date, the US has provided the most support to Israel. With the signal of support given at the NATO Defense Ministers’ meeting on October 12th, initiated by the US, Israel launched heavy bombardments on Gaza. 18,000 Palestinians, mostly elderly, women and children, lost their lives. One might ask: If the US did not want Netanyahu in the government, why did it provide the biggest support for the heavy attack on Gaza? Because after the war started, the US could not do otherwise. The war was not between Israel and Hamas, but between the Atlantic front and the developing world front.
After the war started, Washington tried to prevent the world front from gaining new ground. However, it could not succeed. On the contrary, Tel Aviv’s aggressive, barbaric attack accelerated the downfall of both Israel and the US. As demonstrated plainly by the ceasefire vote at the UN General Assembly, the US found itself globally isolated in supporting Israel. An international environment emerged where even England, the closest European ally of the US, together with Germany, had to abstain in the last vote. Moreover, US allies like Australia, Canada and Japan, who abstained in the October 27th vote, voted in favor of the ceasefire in this vote.
The dilemma of the US and the success of Hamas
It is becoming more and more difficult for Washington to keep its traditional allies aligned with its stance on Israel. And add the deepening cracks in the front the US formed against Russia in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Conditions have made it imperative to implement a plan that was in the repertoire of the US from the very beginning: Sacrificing Netanyahu to save Israel. This highlights the dilemma the US faces in Western Asia and in other parts of the world. The US being forced to sacrifice Netanyahu would be a development in favor of the developing world front.