America’s UN betrayal of Israel weakens the U.S. globally

Dear Friend of Israel, Friend of FLAME:

In a deceitful attack on Israel, the U.S. failed to veto a UN Security Council resolution demanding Israel stand down against the Hamas terror group in Gaza. This action by the Biden Administration not only betrayed America’s strongest ally in the Middle East, it also weakened U.S. standing worldwide and strengthened the hands of our enemies—especially Iran.

Such U.S. treachery exposes Biden as irresolute against the world’s bullies and an unreliable friend to those fighting against them.

The greatest shame of this misadventure is that Team Biden appears motivated not by a desire to help the Palestinians—or the world—but rather by a desperate fear of losing the next election should he disappoint his progressive, anti-Israel Democratic base, comprising a tiny minority of American voters.

Biden’s attempt to discredit and abandon Israel began two weeks ago, with an orchestrated slander against Israel’s democratically-elected prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, voiced by ranking Senator Chuck Schumer. Vice President Harris then piled on with her amateurish assertion that Palestinians have no way to flee Israel’s next attack on Hamas.

The disastrous coup de grace came last Monday when the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an Israeli ceasefire with no counterbalancing condemnation of Hamas—or conditioning a ceasefire on the release of Israeli hostages—while the U.S. conspicuously sat on its hands.

First, Senator Schumer’s accusations against Netanyahu were blatantly false. Contrary to Schumer’s claims, Netanyahu is conducting the war against Hamas the way most Israelis—not just right-wing extremists—want him to. Polls in Israel consistently show overwhelming support for resolutely toppling Hamas in the Gaza Strip. A poll by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) indicates nearly two thirds of Israelis also agree with Netanyahu on the need for an offensive in Rafah. Furthermore, like Netanyahu, some 55% of Israelis reject Palestinian statehood.

Schumer’s speech was a cheap attempt to scapegoat Netanyahu as a cover for Team Biden’s later treachery. The Senator was clearly acting for the White House, as part of a plan to discredit Israel in the lead-up to the following week’s betrayal at the UN. No wonder Biden immediately praised Schumer’s defamatory diatribe.

Schumer threatened the U.S. would interfere in Israel’s domestic politics to get what it wants. He also repeated Secretary of State Blinken’s warning that the Jewish state faces “isolation” if it invades Rafah. This is perhaps the first time in history a high-ranking U.S. politician has called for regime change in a democratic country. And not just any democratic country: He attacked the State of Israel—one of America’s greatest allies and the only democracy in the Middle East.

Vice President Harris a few days later falsely asserted there is no way to safely evacuate civilians from Rafah—one more attempt by Team Biden to discredit Israel. To drive the spike deeper, Harris comically designated herself an expert on protecting civilians in war after she “studied the maps” of Gaza. Harris knows Israel’s military experts live those maps daily, have fought on that land, and have already proven they can safely evacuate Gazan civilians.

Harris, in fact, has no military expertise. But John Spencer does. He is a retired U.S. Army major and chair of urban warfare studies at West Point’s Modern War Institute. According to Spencer, Israel has done more to protect the lives of civilians than even the U.S. in its Middle East wars. In a Newsweek article, Spencer wrote, referring to Israel’s Defense Forces, “I’ve never known an army to take such measures to attend to the enemy’s civilian population.”

Team Biden’s abstention from the UNSC vote was the final blow: A flagrant betrayal of America’s staunchest Middle East ally. The Security Council resolution did not condition a ceasefire on the release of hostages, nor did it condemn Hamas. In fact, it compromised hostage negotiations that were taking place and subsequently broke down. It also prevents—or at least delays—what Israel must and will do: Invade Rafah and dismantle the remaining four battalions of Hamas.

Following the Security Council vote, Seth Mandel, senior editor of Commentary magazine, wrote, “Today, the Biden administration declared Russia to be correct. Let the hostages rot or else Joe Biden may lose a few thousand votes in Michigan.”

Team Biden’s campaign of Israel-bashing, meant to please left-wing, anti-Israel Democrats, is counterproductive. While Muslim votes in places like Michigan—and ultra-left voters nationwide—were crucial to Biden’s 2020 election win, polls also show that today some 80% of Americans support Israel’s fight against Hamas, and nearly as many oppose a ceasefire without release of the hostages. By trying to win the votes of Hamas-supporters, Biden is bound to lose the votes of tens of millions of staunch Israel-supporters, both Christian and Jewish.

Biden’s treachery against Israel shows our enemies that America lacks the commitment to fight back. The administration has long shown timidity in opposing Iran’s blatant aggression, instead rewarding the Islamic Republic with cash payments of billions of dollars. This latest failure to let Israel finish off Iran-proxy Hamas makes Biden look even weaker in the face of Middle East terror groups like Hezbollah, the Houthis and ISIS. Even more alarming, this example signals to America’s most formidable enemies, like Russia and China, that the U.S. hesitates and fears to defend its global interests.

Please make the point when speaking with family, friends, colleagues—or in letters to the editor—that if President Biden wants to be re-elected, he’d be smart to stop pandering to a tiny minority of extremist voters who want to see Israel wiped off the map. Rather, the vast majority of Americans support the Jewish state and expect the same from him. Surely most voters would also prefer an administration with a stiffer backbone and a more determined defense of U.S. interests globally.

Best regards,

James Sinkinson, President

Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME)

P.S.      The events of October 7 have changed our world forever—and especially the world for Israel and the Jewish people. Likewise, the words “Never Again” will never be the same for us. October 7 has shown us that despite all promises of equity and commitments against hate on campus and on our streets, we can never depend on it. We will likely never be free of the scourge of antisemitism, fueled by the most outrageous slanders. I hope you’ll agree that we opponents of Hamas and its savage massacre—and of all who support Hamas, against all humanitarian values—need to speak out. FLAME’s new hasbarah—explanatory message—“Enemies of Israel Tell Five Big Lies”—refutes today’s most vicious lies against Israel and the Jewish people. I hope you’ll review this convincing, fact-based editorial, which FLAME published in the Washington Post, New York Post, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. This piece will also be sent to all members of Congress, Vice President Harris and President Biden. If you agree that this kind of public relations effort on Israel’s behalf is critical, I urge you to support us with a donation.