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Biden gives Israel “ironclad” backing against Iranian retaliatory strike

in World

by Peter Symonds

13/04/2024

US President Joe Biden warned yesterday that Iranian retaliation in response to Israel’s highly provocative April 1 attack on Iran’s consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus was expected “sooner than later.”

While not criticizing, let alone condemning Israel’s attack on the embassy, Biden was quick to declare his administration’s total support for Israel. “Our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad,” he declared. “Let me say it again: ironclad.”

The Israeli airstrike on the consular section of Iran’s embassy in Syria killing three senior Iranian generals and other officials was a flagrant act of war that could only further inflame tensions in the Middle East and lead to a wider war. It was not only another breach of Syria’s national sovereignty, but a direct attack on Iranian territory—as embassies in a foreign country are designated as such by international convention.

Biden’s remarks amount to a blank cheque to the Israeli regime to carry out illegal acts of aggression anywhere in the Middle East, including against Iran. Just as it has backed Israel’s barbaric war in Gaza to the hilt on the basis of its “right to defend itself,” so the US gives its “ironclad” backing for setting the region aflame.

Asked by reporters what his message to Iran was, Biden simply declared: “Don’t.” He provided no evidence that an Iranian strike was imminent, but again stressed: “We are devoted to the defence of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed.”

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the US Navy is strengthening its already substantial fleet in the Middle East with two more destroyers to the region, one of which is equipped with an Aegis anti-missile system.

General Erik Kurilla, the head of US Central Command, held what could only be described as a war council with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant yesterday along with top Israeli military and defence ministry officials. “We are prepared to defend ourselves on the ground and in the air, in close cooperation with our partners, and we will know how to respond,” Gallant declared after the meeting.

Having deliberately provoked a confrontation with Iran, the Israeli regime is preparing to widen its genocidal war in Gaza throughout the Middle East. “Whoever harms us, we will harm them,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Thursday as he visited troops at an Israeli military airbase. “We are prepared … both defensively and offensively.”

Israel with Washington’s backing is already engaged in an escalating conflict with Iranian—linked Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon while carrying out airstrikes deep into Lebanon and Syria targeting senior figures in both Hamas and Hezbollah. At the same time, the US and allied forces continue to carry out attacks against Houthi militia in Yemen.

The Biden administration has sought to distance itself from the April 1 Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate. The Washington Post reported on Thursday that US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had contacted Gallant on April 3 to complain that the US had not been given advance notice “because of the strike’s implications for US troops and interests in the region.”

As with previous Israeli strikes on Iranian officials in Syria, neither Austin nor any other administration official has made even a hint of condemnation of Israel’s action, even though the potential for a broader Middle East war is evident. In December, an Israeli airstrike in a Damascus suburb killed Iran’s top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp Seyed Razi Mousavi.

Far from marshaling diplomatic pressure to prevent further Israeli acts of aggression, the US has contacted countries around the world, including China, calling for them to urge Iran not to take retaliatory action on Israel for its April 1 attack.

UK foreign secretary Lord David Cameron said he had made clear to the Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian that “Iran must not draw the Middle East into a wider conflict”. “I am deeply concerned about the potential for miscalculation leading to further violence.”

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday that the attack on its consulate was equivalent to an attack on Iranian territory. “When they attack our consulate, it means they have attacked our territory,” he said. “The Zionist regime made a mistake and must be punished and will be punished.”

Iran’s Tasnim news agency commented that Iran’s “punishment” for Israel was inevitable and would be “heavy”. But it dismissed US claims that an attack was imminent, saying that suggestions that Tehran would respond in the next few days or was planning a missile and drone strike were simply speculation.

While the region braces for an escalating war, the Israel military is continuing its barbaric operations in Gaza that have inflamed tensions throughout the Middle East and provoked mass protests around the world. With the death toll now over 33,000, five more people were killed and 30 more injured today in an Israeli attack in Gaza City.

Armed Israeli settlers have also carried out multiple attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, killing one person and injuring dozens in the town of al-Mughayir, as well as setting homes and vehicles alight.

In the wake of international outrage over the Israeli murder of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza this month, Israel claims to have nearly doubled the number of aid trucks entering Gaza—still far short of what is required to avert starvation and famine.

“We’ve been asking for this for months,” Jamie McGoldrick, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Jerusalem, told CNN. “We’ve been calling out the fact that there’s a real humanitarian crisis in the north, where famine is imminent…it’s only now that we start to see the announcements.”

“There has been no significant change in the volume of humanitarian supplies entering Gaza or improved access to the north,” UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian Affairs, said on Tuesday. “Since the beginning of April, an average of 177 aid trucks have crossed into Gaza per day via the Karem Abu Salem and Rafah land crossings.”

In other words, the Israeli blockade continues. The use of starvation as a weapon of war in Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza underscores its utter contempt for international law and basic human rights.

Originally published in WSWS.ORG

COUNTERCURRENTS

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POLITICO Nightly: The GOP’s big-donor problem

 

BY CALDER MCHUGH Former President Donald Trump attends an election-night watch party at Mar-a-Lago on March 5. | Win McNamee/Getty Images CASH IS KING — The Republican Party has been transformed since former President Donald Trump became its standard bearer. So, too, have its donors. Forget about the party of the country club. Republicans — and in particular, Trump — have in recent election cycles relied increasingly on small-dollar donations to power their campaigns. In an inversion of their donor bases, Democrats have built a significant large donor advantage that’s powered their local, state and national election prospects. In the 2020 cycle, big donors — those who gave $100,000 or more — who contributed only to Democrats contributed $5.2 billion, according to FEC data analyzed by OpenSecrets . Only-Republican big donors chipped in $3.3 billion, a huge number that nevertheless left them trailing by almost $2 billion. At the presidential level in 2020, 45 percent of Trump’s cash came from small donors (those giving $200 or less) while just 38 percent of Biden’s haul came from that group. The evolution of the fundraising bases is another sign of the transformation of the major parties during the Trump era, with the Republican coalition becoming more populist and working-class oriented , and Democrats picking up the affluent suburbs and voters with higher levels of educational attainment. Some of it can be attributed to Trump himself. Many traditional Republican big donors are Trump skeptical, donating huge sums to his erstwhile primary rivals and now, in part, pivoting to supporting down ballot Republicans at the expense of the billionaire who will head the GOP ticket. And while Trump has secured some big money backers and made overtures to others, CNBC reports that some donors are hesitant to give cash even to the Republican National Committee , amidst concerns that their money will be used to pay for the former president’s legal defenses rather than campaigns. There are signs that GOP billionaires who are concerned Biden would try to raise their taxes in a second term are coming around to Trump . His allies are planning a fundraiser in Palm Beach on April 6 that they are hoping will raise $33 million — an event designed to top Biden’s eye-popping $26 million March 28 New York fundraiser. In that event, Biden’s campaign combined the star power of the last three Democratic presidents with entertainers like Stephen Colbert in order to attract cash from high-powered New York finance and tech types. Trump is trying to do something even bigger in Florida, with the help of billionaire investor John Paulson, who is hosting. Still, with Trump unlikely to match Biden’s large donor advantage overall, he is relying on a small donor online fundraising operation that was humming in 2020 — but is currently lagging, with worries from Republicans that small donors are burnt out . Biden has a big fundraising advantage this year in part due to his large donor advantage, but he’s also beating Trump among small donors. This cycle, Biden has outraised his rival among those donating under $200 by $60 million to $34 million, and small donors also make up a larger percentage of the president’s overall fundraising total, at 47 percent to Trump’s 36 percent. Last year, small donations were down across the board compared to 2020 , but the problem is currently affecting Trump more acutely — his campaign has $33.5 million cash on hand compared to Biden’s $71 million according to March’s FEC reports. In December, AdImpact projected that total spending on political advertising could top $10 billion for the first time ever. And while there’s only so many airwaves and websites that can carry ads, an overall fundraising advantage for Biden’s joint fundraising committee can allow Democrats to direct spending to other areas of need as well, from Senate races to attempts to win back statehouses. Trump’s ability to attract small donors has been essential to his electoral prospects in the past, and will continue to be important as small donations are becoming a larger percentage of overall spending. But if he and his Republican allies are unable to continue to juice small donations to close the overall fundraising gap to Biden, that’s an ominous development in 2024.   Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . 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The Biden administration is weighing selling Israel up to 50 new F-15 fighter jets, 30 AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, and a number of Joint Direct Attack Munition kits, which turn dumb bombs into precision-guided weapons, according to a congressional aide and a person familiar with the discussions. NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 GEORGIA ELECTION RULES — Republican-backed legislation headed to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk would establish new rules for challenging voters’ eligibility and make it easier to qualify for the presidential ballot – changes that could have consequences in this fall’s elections in a closely watched battleground state, CNN reports. Late last week – just before wrapping up their legislative session – state lawmakers approved a broad elections measure that would allow “any political party or political body” that has obtained ballot access in at least 20 states or territories to qualify for Georgia’s presidential ballot. 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Europe’s biggest city, Istanbul accounts for 18 percent of Turkey’s population and a third of its economy. In his victory speech delivered late Sunday, Imamoğlu said the local election results would have big implications for the country’s political future. “Turkey will blossom into a new era in democracy as of tomorrow. March 31, 2024 is the day when democratic erosion ends and democracy begins to recover,” he told a big crowd in Istanbul. Imamoğlu is seen as a future challenger to Erdoğan, and winning the city which catapulted the current president to national prominence when he won the mayorship 30 years ago is a symbolic achievement. Erdoğan conceded defeat and promised to listen to the message delivered by Turkish voters. “March 31 is not an end for us, but a turning point,” he said.   Access New York bill updates and Congressional activity in areas that matter to you, and use our exclusive insights to see what’s on the Albany agenda. Learn more .     NIGHTLY NUMBER 1 The number of avian flu cases discovered in humans today , raising concern among health officials that one person infected could lead to a larger outbreak, though there’s no current evidence that the disease is being spread person to person. RADAR SWEEP MARKET RATES — Does the best vodka brand cost between $10 and $25 at Costco? Industry experts seem to agree that the Kirkland brand vodka is as good, if not better, than far more expensive items. So why are people still interested in vodkas that can run over $100 for a bottle? 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PARTING IMAGE On this date in 1990: More than 20,000 Ukrainians defied an official ban and rallied at the Republican Stadium Square in Kyiv to voice their support for the Lithuanian independence. | AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   FOLLOW US

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