Former US Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday that it is "bizarre" for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to propose withholding US military aid from Israel if the government there does not moderate its treatment of Palestinians.
The remarks highlight a nuanced but significant distinction between the Democratic presidential contenders. Biden and Sanders support a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, and both men have criticized political leaders on each side of the long-standing conflict. But Biden's take, offered during a question-and-answer session with Iowa voters, hewed a more traditional US establishment line by reaffirming a financial commitment to Israel regardless of its actions toward Palestinians.
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The former vice president, cast Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "counterproductive" and accused Palestinian leaders of "fomenting" the conflict and "baiting everyone who is Jewish," while suggesting that some on the US political Left give the Palestinian Authority "a pass" when criticizing Israeli leadership.
"In terms of Bernie and others who talk about dealing with Zionism, I strongly support Israel as an independent Jewish state," Biden said in rural northeastern Iowa. He added, "The idea that I'd withdraw military aid, as others have suggested, from Israel, is bizarre. I would not do that. It's like saying to France, 'Because you don't agree with us, we're going to kick you out of NATO."
Sanders, a Vermont senator, elevated the matter in late October when he said the US should "leverage" its billions of dollars in annual Israeli aid. "My solution is to say to Israel: 'You get $3.8 billion every year. If you want military aid, you're going to have to fundamentally change your relationship to the people of Gaza.' In fact, I think it is fair to say that some of that should go right now into humanitarian aid."
Netanyahu said Thursday, despite warnings from the International Criminal Court, that Israel has the "full right" to annex the Jordan Valley altogether if it chooses, and said he discussed annexation this week in a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The Palestinians seek the entire West Bank as the heartland of their hoped-for state. The Jordan Valley comprises about a quarter of the West Bank and is one of the few open areas that could be redeveloped by the Palestinians. Israel counters that the area is vital to its security. President Donald Trump's administration aligns closely with Netanyahu, already recognizing Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights. Democrats, especially in the party's progressive flank, have become increasingly critical of Netanyahu and the long-standing US alliance with the Jerusalem government.
Biden on Saturday called the notion of annexing the West Bank as "a serious mistake, a fundamental mistake," but he had even harsher words for the Palestinian Authority, seemingly blaming them for a failure to reach new peace accords "and get 98% of what they wanted" when former President Barack Obama was in office with Biden as his vice president.
"They continued to insist on baiting everyone who is Jewish, saying they would not sign a deal with a Jewish state, will not recognize one even if we have an independent nation," Biden said.
He said that, as president, he'd continue to push Israel to accept a Palestinian state, but added that he's "tired of everybody giving the Palestinian Authority a pass ... as if they're not continuing to foment all of this."
