The Genocide in Gaza and Its Enablers

Biden’s response to the war in Gaza is a cautionary tale for future presidents of what can happen when the U.S. gives any other state a blank check.

According to a new YouGov poll, roughly half of Democrats nationwide believe that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza:

Among younger Americans, and along political lines, divisions are more prominent. Almost half of those surveyed aged 18-29, 49%, say Israel is committing genocide, with 24% disagreeing and 27% uncertain.

The figures are broadly similar for registered Democrats, who believe 49%-21% in the genocide characterization, while 30% are undecided.

Western governments have been quick to recognize and denounce genocides when they are committed by adversaries, but they refuse to do the same when confronted with evidence that a client and partner is committing the same crime. The Israeli government stands accused of a grave crime, but the accusation is well-founded and there is plenty of evidence that it is true. The U.S. shares in the responsibility for the crime on account of its unstinting material support for the perpetrator and its diplomatic efforts to shield Israel from the consequences of its actions.

The South African delegation made a strong case that the Israeli government has violated the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Given the evidence of what Israeli leaders have said about Gaza, how Israeli soldiers have understood those statements, and what the Israeli government has been doing to Gaza in the last three and a half months, it would be genuinely surprising if the International Court of Justice (ICJ) did not rule against Israel. Even if they did not have numerous statements from senior officials justifying collective punishment of the entire population, the court could very well infer genocidal intent just from the Israeli siege, the use of starvation as a weapon, and the extensive destruction of objects indispensable to survival.

The final ruling will not come for a long time, but ICJ will issue its interim ruling on South Africa’s case tomorrow. The court is not expected to dismiss the case, but we will have to see which provisional measures it chooses to order. It is possible that the court will order a halt to Israeli military operations, but the Israeli prime minister has already publicly said that the war will continue no matter what. Even so, if the court orders any provisional measures it will be a major blow to the Israeli government and to its Western supporters. It will make it much harder for the U.S. to continue funneling weapons to Israel, and it will put considerable political pressure on all Western governments that have been covering for Israel for the last few months.

Turning to domestic politics, it remains to be seen just how damaging Biden’s support for the war in Gaza will be to his reelection effort, but it can’t be good news for the incumbent president when half of the people from his party believe that the government he supports unconditionally is guilty of genocide. The safe, albeit cynical, bet is that voters won’t care very much about foreign policy even when our government is aiding and abetting the slaughter and starvation of huge numbers of innocent people. For our country’s sake, I hope that the safe bet is wrong and the American people won’t just ignore the reality that the president has been an active supporter of one of the great crimes of the 21st century.

One of the other interesting findings in the poll is how little confidence the public has in Biden’s ability to respond “wisely” to an international crisis. When the question is put to them, only 32% of respondents say that they are confident in Biden’s ability. 56%, including 21% of Biden 2020 voters, say that they are “uneasy.” Republicans predictably have no confidence in Biden, but the more telling result is that 62% of independents hold the same view. Even among Biden’s fellow Democrats, only 69% are confident in his ability. This a terrible showing for an incumbent president, especially when that president has made such a big deal out of his supposed foreign policy expertise and competence.

Biden’s response to the war in Gaza is a cautionary tale for future presidents of what can happen when the U.S. gives any other state a blank check. When he gave Israel carte blanche, he was fueling a terrible war of revenge that aimed to make Gaza uninhabitable and that sought to punish every Palestinian in Gaza for the atrocities of a relative few. Biden’s “no daylight” approach to Israel was a bad idea under normal circumstances, and in a crisis it was disastrous. The president’s instinct to back a reckless client to the hilt was not just foolish and irresponsible, but it also led to one of the most appalling crimes of our time.

There is a genocide being committed in Gaza by the Israeli government. Our government is the leading abettor of the crime. As understandably cynical as many of us are about U.S. foreign policy, that is still a shocking and horrifying truth.