Protesters Highlight Biden Administration Opposition To Peace and Democracy
The protesters against Biden in Charleston earlier this week highlight a stark contradiction between the stated values of the administration and the bloody reality.
On Monday, a group of pro-Palestine protesters disrupted a Biden campaign speech , by giving up passionate denunciations of US policy in Palestine and and breaking into pleading chants “Cease-fire now!”
The group had chosen a particularly poignant speech at which to demonstrate. It took place at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, a Black church that was the site of a white supremacist mass-shooting in 2015 that claimed nine lives. The protesters made clear the contradiction between Biden’s supposed commitment to anti-racism and his sympathy for the victims of that shooting on the one hand and his continued support for the Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
As the protesters were escorted out of the church, Biden said that "I understand their passion and I've been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza, using all that I can to do that.”
But this response, besides accusing the protesters of being motivated by passion instead of the basic humanitarian imperative to stop the killing and displacement of the Palestinian people, is at odds with the Biden Administration’s ongoing support for continued Israeli military action in Gaza.
Whose Democracy?
Earlier this week, The National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication, John Kirby, told the press that “We do continue to support humanitarian pauses but not a general cease-fire right now. The president wasn't signaling any change at all.” He asserted the Administration’s belief that a ceasefire would “only benefit Hamas.”
Despite public pronouncements that the administration is working to reduce Israel’s intensity of the war, the administration has yet to exert any of the real influence it has. Given the enormous amounts of military aid the United States provides, Israel wouldn’t be able to operate if the US stopped the spigot of support. This effectively gives the US a veto power over Israeli activities in the strip. Rather than exercising that power, the US has instead removed all previous limits on the amount of direct transfers to Israel. Back at the end of November, Biden called the idea of conditioning aid a “worthwhile thought” but has continued to reject it in favor of continuing what he even acknowledges are “indiscriminate bombings.” Despite public dissent at the executive branch, and even from Biden’s own staff, the core of the administration has decided to continue fueling Israel’s massacres and cleansing operations in Gaza.
But the problem doesn’t stop with Biden. Only a small minority or candidates from either of the two major US political parties have signaled support for a ceasefire is yet another reminder that the country does not have a truly representative form of government. In late November, Data For Progress conducted a poll that revealed that 61% of likely voters either support a ceasefire. But this has not translated into action from Congress. According to the Working Families Party ceasefire tacker, only 64 members of Congress have publicly called for a ceasefire. The public, however, is far more friendly to peace.
It seems clear that without significant structural change to the American political system, U.S. foreign policy will continue to be shaped by the military-industrial complex, evangelical interest groups, and pro-Israel PACs. The outpouring of grassroots support for the Palestinian cause, especially among Gen Z, is a hopeful sign that meaningful reforms might be on the horizon. But in the meantime, American politicians will continue to have their hands stained with Palestinian blood.
*As this piece was going to publication, the Biden administration began air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, expanding and escalating the conflict. The Houthis have been blocking shipping lanes in the Red Sea in support of Gaza. For team Biden, shipping delays are a reason to kill. We will have more on this later, but it underscores the Biden administration’s contradiction between its stated goals of de-escalation and the reality of militarism.