Zionist..Biden- Yahya Abdullah

Much has been written about “Christian Zionism” or “Zionist Christianity”: about its origins among the adherents of English Protestantism in the 17th century, and about the nature of its governing ideology, which is summarized in the belief in the necessity of the return of the world’s Jews to the Land of Palestine (the Land of Israel), to establish a state for the Jews and to rebuild the Temple, as an inevitable part of the Christian redemptive process. Much has also been written about the conviction of many European politicians and writers in this theological vision, and their unremitting efforts to put it into practice, and about its spread to the United States through European immigrants, and about its influence among followers of the doctrine of the Church of England, and about the beliefs of many American politicians and presidents.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the current US president openly declares himself a Zionist: “If Israel does not exist, all Jews in the world will be in danger. Therefore, it needs to become strong in order to provide a safe place for Jews. You do not have to be Jewish to be a Zionist. This is what Biden said in an interview with Complex Networks. During the conversation, Biden was asked: Are you a Zionist? His answer was affirmative. More than a year ago, on October 7, 2024, Biden once again confirmed this characteristic during a hearing of then-Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid during his visit to Israel. Therefore, it is not surprising that after his announcement on Sunday, July 21, 2024, to withdraw from the presidential election scheduled for next November, most of the Israeli media reports (with a few exceptions) have a sad tone. Many Israeli writers agree that Biden may be the last US president who speaks openly about Zionism, including Ben Dror Yemini, who said: “Biden was and remains a true friend of Israel. Perhaps the last president to loudly declare himself a Zionist, especially in an era when the word “Zionist” is a reprehensible description that evades those who want to protect themselves, not to mention progressive and democratic (American) circles. As such, he deserves the admiration of every Zionist and Israeli patriot.”

Nahum Barnea said the same thing: “Joe Biden could be the last Zionist president in the White House.” Ron Ben Yishai: “It is said that US President Joe Biden is the last Zionist president. He deserves this title if we look at his presidency from the perspective of the national and financial security of the citizens of the State of Israel. “No US president has come to Israel’s aid morally, militarily and practically as Joe Biden did after the terrible October 7th.” In fact, Ephraim Garner believes that Biden’s departure from the White House and the end of his political career marks “a new era in relations between Israel and the United States and sufficient reason to mourn the last Zionist president.”

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Based on his belief in Zionism, Biden offered Israel something that no previous US president had ever offered. He visited the country as soon as the war broke out, strengthened the support of officials, and issued a strong warning to all parties who might want to take the opportunity to expand the circle of war, to the effect that Israel is not alone, saying: “Let me say it again, I have only one word for every country, every organization and everyone who wants to take advantage of this situation, and that is: Don’t. Biden not only provided moral support, but a few days later he sent the two largest aircraft carriers in the US fleet, the Ford and the Eisenhower, to the region to send a clear warning to Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Biden also intends to arrange huge US financial support of about $14 billion for Israel’s war operations and provide Israel with all the weapons and ammunition it needs, so much so that Amnon, the chief political commentator of Israel TV Channel 12, said: Abramovich repeated his statement more than once: “Without the support of the Biden administration, we would now be fighting with sticks and bricks.”

According to Ephraim Ganor, Biden’s close relationship with Israel began 50 years ago when he was a U.S. Senator from Delaware, when he expressed “his love and concern for the State of Israel” during a meeting with Israelis in Delaware. Golda Meir, then Prime Minister of Israel, cared for and sought to help the State of Israel during his political activities as Chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and Vice President of the United States. Biden was not born a Zionist, but multiple factors led him to become one, some of which are historical, some of which are religious, some of which are cultural, some of which are social, and some of which are colonial Orientalism.

One of the historical factors that led him to become a Zionist was that he reached a stage of maturity and awareness in the years following World War II and the creation of the State of Israel, a stage in which there was a general ambivalence among the American people, according to Neil Kipnis: “on the one hand pride in America for having liberated the world from the yoke of Nazism, and on the other hand guilt towards the Jews” because the US authorities did not allow some ships carrying Jews fleeing Nazi Germany to enter its ports.

One of the cultural factors that made him a Zionist was that he fed intellectually on the major Hollywood epics of the fifties and sixties that relied on biblical stories, such as the film The Ten Commandments, and on films that glorified Zionist Zionist projects, such as Exodus and The Book of Egypt. He cast a huge shadow. These films starred talented and influential stars, such as Paul Newman, Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck and Frank Sinatra.

According to Dan Berry, one of the religious factors is his belief in the “common roots of the Jewish and Christian traditions” and the so-called “historical rights of the Jewish people to the Holy Land.” Nir Kipnis said that one of the sociopolitical factors is that Biden is surrounded by “Jewish colleagues” within the Democratic Party, noting that “in those years, there was an almost perfect correspondence between the terms ‘American Jews’ and ‘Jewish colleagues.'” One of the colonial Orientalist factors is that, according to Dan Berry, he believes that Israel is the “leading force of Western civilization” in the Arab region.

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Despite all that Biden has done for Israel, some Israeli right-wing circles celebrated his withdrawal from the election, as participants of the “Patriot” program broadcast by the rabid right-wing broadcaster Yanon Majal on Channel 14 distributed baklava on the occasion with great joy, while Defense Minister Amithai Shikli, a member of the Likud “Diaspora”, made disparaging remarks about Biden. This is because these circles believe that anyone who does not align with their beliefs, such as the extermination of the Palestinian people, the annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the reoccupation of Gaza and the establishment of settlements there, is an enemy of Israel, even if he is a Zionist to the core, like Joe Biden.

Biden’s behavior during the war has been observed in non-right circles, which put him on a collision course with the Benjamin Netanyahu government, including what Ron Ben Yishai called “bowed to pressure from the liberal wing of the party” known as the “squad” in support of the Palestinian people and demanded that Israel not ignite regional wars and impose on it how to manage wars according to the vision of its generals. Now that the days of the Zionist Biden in the White House are numbered – until late January 2025 AD – the prevailing Israeli thinking is focused on how to squeeze him to the last drop and get the maximum possible benefit from his policies. presence in power. Ron Ben Yishai believes that his continued presence in power until the end of January next year is “an opportunity to improve the chances of ending the Iron Sword War (the name of Israel’s war against the Al-Aqsa flood), achieve important achievements and improve the situation of our national security for many years to come.” Ron Ben Yishai agrees with some that Biden has become a “lame duck” politically and in his ability to influence the international arena, especially the Middle East, but he believes that he has become “now, to the same extent, freed from the fear of progressives.” The “crazy people” are in his party, so he can make decisions that are in line with his personal vision without being influenced by advisers.

Ron Ben Yishai believes that one of the opportunities Israel should seize with Biden in power is to reach an understanding with him in all administrative, military, operational and political spheres, so that it will be difficult for any incoming president to ignore these opportunities, whether he is a Republican or a Democrat, to re-plan strategic relations with the United States, to agree on a joint strategic plan between Israel and the United States of America, to continue the war on all fronts, and to ask Biden to resolve the sanctions imposed on Israel, including the arrest warrant and possible warnings from the International Criminal Court against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. Biden may be the last Zionist American president, but fundamentally, it is common strategic interests, not just Zionist enthusiasm, that dominate the relationship between Israel and the United States of America.