Biden worked 'tirelessly around the clock' to prevent a ceasefire: RS
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US President Joe Biden had the tools and leverage to secure a ceasefire but deliberately chose not to act.
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US President Joe Biden waits to speak about foreign policy at the State Department in Washington, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
The Responsible Statecraft on Thursday published a compelling critique by Trita Parsi, examining US President Joe Biden's handling of the war on Gaza and its far-reaching consequences for American foreign policy and global credibility.
The piece sheds light on how a year of inaction, followed by mere posturing from President-elect Donald Trump's team, reflects the Biden administration's failure to exert meaningful pressure on "Israel" to end the violence.
According to Parsi, Biden had the tools and leverage to secure a ceasefire but deliberately chose not to act. "Every day for the past year, Biden could have secured a ceasefire by using America's vast leverage," Parsi writes.
Instead, the article argues, Biden's approach signaled tacit approval of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's genocidal campaign, with devastating humanitarian and strategic consequences.
Ceasefire Pressure
The critique reveals a stark contrast between the Biden administration's stance and the immediate impact of Trump's envoy.
A diplomat quoted in the piece described the shift: "[This was] the first time there has been real pressure on the Israeli side to accept a deal." The result, according to Parsi, was a ceasefire that could have come much sooner, potentially sparing countless lives.
Parsi does not shy away from the moral and geopolitical fallout of Biden's decisions, equating them to the long-lasting damage inflicted by George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq.
Read more: West Bank support for Hamas surges, anti-American sentiment rises: AP
Brett Holmgren, Biden's acting Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, is cited in the piece warning that anti-American sentiment fueled by the war in Gaza has reached levels "not seen since the Iraq war."
These sentiments, Parsi points out, are creating fertile ground for terrorist recruitment by groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS.
Moral Complicity
The article also sheds light on the moral implications of US complicity. "Every bomb Biden provided Israel to drop on children in Gaza was not only morally monstrous; it also made Americans less safe," Parsi asserts, stressing the dual harm of enabling civilian casualties while eroding US security.
Parsi calls for accountability, drawing lessons from the Iraq War era when public outrage forced a reevaluation of America's military interventions.
He argues that Biden's unwavering support for "Israel" during the war on Gaza must serve as a similar moment of reckoning, stating that it should be remembered as "the original sin that led America down the path of complicity in what most likely amount to genocide."
Read more: Anti-US sentiment on the rise in Arab region over support for 'Israel'
