Published: 29 June 2020
Last updated: 4 March 2024
LAST WEEK THE US magazine Jewish Currents assembled a panel of experts to discuss the topic “Biden’s Foreign Policy and Israel/Palestine”. As a practical matter, there is little to be gleaned beyond what is already published in presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s official campaign platform or through his record in public office. None of the panellists claimed insider knowledge of the Biden campaign.
Nonetheless, they delivered an engaging hour of policy nuance, informed speculation, and even a glimmer of hope. Valuable clarity was offered on the broader political landscape and opportunities for citizen engagement.
To understand the implications of a Joe Biden presidency it is first necessary to consider Donald Trump’s record, which can be summarised as Trump acting as a rubber stamp for the agenda of Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
From moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to the “Deal of the Century”, green-lighting annexation and putting what might be the final nail in the coffin of the two-state solution, Trump has endorsed the Israeli Right’s program of cancelling the Palestinians as an independent people entitled to self-determination under internationally recognised boundaries.
Biden’s platform differs significantly. Perhaps most important is his commitment to “reverse the Trump Administration’s destructive cut off of diplomatic ties with the Palestinian Authority and cancellation of assistance programs that support Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation, economic development, and humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza.”
His platform is clear in its rejection of annexation and advocating a return to the two-state solution. Biden commits to “work with the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to support peace-building efforts in the region.”
“Biden will urge Israel’s government and the Palestinian Authority to take steps to keep the prospect of a negotiated two-state outcome alive and avoid actions, such as unilateral annexation of territory and settlement activity, or support for incitement and violence, that undercut prospects for peace between the parties.”
At the same time, Biden is proud of his record of support for Israel over decades in the Senate and as vice president. As a senator, Biden was “unshakeable” in his fight for aid to Israel, according to his platform. In the Obama administration, he was a “key advocate” in securing US cooperation in the development of anti-rocket and missile defence systems. He “helped shape” the $US38 billion 10-year defence assistance commitment made by Barack Obama.
[gallery columns="1" size="large" ids="33170"]
Phrases such as “key advocate” and “helped shape” can cover a range of activities. Nonetheless, the picture that unfolds is of a Biden presidency that departs significantly from Trump in regard to the Palestinians and the peace process while sustaining strong support for the US-Israel strategic and military alliance.
Biden’s position is generally consistent with that of a succession of administrations which have supported Israel while, to varying degrees, insisting on Palestinian rights, from Clinton to Bush to Obama. It is Trump who is the outlier.
Obama had strong disagreements with Netanyahu even as he promised to veto any application for Palestinian statehood that might come before the United Nations prior to a settlement with Israel, insisting that “there can be no shortcut to peace.” The driving force of Biden’s campaign has been nostalgia for the Obama years and perhaps on Israel/Palestine, his policies will be little more than a throwback to Obama’s.
On the Jewish Currents panel, Lara Friedman, President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, framed Biden’s differences with Trump in the context of the November presidential election. She said Israel/Palestine has never been a decisive issue.
The majority of American Jews support the Democrats for a wide range of issues, not just the Middle East. “I would love to see a more visionary leader,” she said, “but Biden won’t shake things up. If there is to be a saviour, it will come from grassroots efforts.”
Aida Touma-Sliman, an Israeli Arab Member of the Knesset, does not expect much from Biden but believes he will at least be less damaging than Trump. She suggested that Palestinians will have a receptive ear in a Biden administration, one that has been lacking in Trump’s.
Matt Duss, foreign policy advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders, said the issue of Israel/Palestine had “fallen a few rungs down the ladder” of concerns in the region. The conflicts in Syria and Yemen as well as broader regional instability have dominated the attention of the world and of the United States.
He raised the possibility of a regional framework arising within US foreign policy under Biden, adding “we must make sure the Palestinians are not the ones to pay the price.” Duss acknowledges that, unlike Trump, Biden “recognises Palestinians as a people with legitimate rights in the land.”
I would love to see a more visionary leader but Biden won’t shake things up. If there is to be a saviour, it will come from grassroots efforts - Lara Friedman
Moving away from foreign policy, moderator and Jewish Currents editor Peter Beinart asked the panel about American free speech rights in respect to Israel and the push toward bans on engaging in boycotts. Friedman said that, while such bans are unconstitutional, efforts are underway to fine-tune laws to pass judicial scrutiny. She described these efforts as redefining “time tested actions [to be] deemed irredeemably evil if applied to Israel.”
Acknowledging uncertainty as to Biden’s stance, she pointed out that he had already ticked “the rhetorical box of BDS is bad.” Duss added that the 2016 Democratic Platform did not even include the word “occupation” and that progressives should be prepared for another platform struggle at this year’s convention.
Beinart gave MK Touma-Sliman the last word. She expressed concern about Netanyahu’s intention to create an apartheid state through annexations. Nonetheless, “Palestinians should not give up their national dream.”
Some big questions were missing from the Jewish Currents discussion:
- If Netanyahu moves forward with annexation over the next six months, what, if any, would be the response of a newly inaugurated President Biden?
- What do the panellists know about Biden’s role in crafting Obama’s policy and what are their views on whether he will depart from it?
- Has there been any analysis of Biden funding from Jewish organisations and major donors, whether Left or Right? How might these affect his policy?
We have reached a point where many despair about the viability of a two-state solution. One would be hard pressed to find encouraging signs that a just solution might arrive any time soon. Will a Biden administration bring new hope to the Palestinians? Or will he return us to a status quo in which they will languish through another half century of disenfranchisement in their own land?
On these issues Aida Touma-Sliman called for solidarity; Matt Duss advocated a foreign policy informed by the justice principles of Black Lives Matter; and Lara Friedman pointed to support of down-ballot progressives who care about the issue.
Whether or not Joe Biden emerges as a progressive force on Israel/Palestine, there are opportunities for the people, for those who care, to lead and to exert pressure on his administration.
Jewish Currents panel on “Biden’s Foreign Policy and Israel/Palestine”
Joe Biden platform on “Joe Biden and The Jewish Community”
Photo: Joe Biden disembarks from a plane at Ben Gurion International Airport, in 2016 (Reuters/Baz Ratner)
