Staff Reports
The Biden administration has decided to take yet another jab at Israel, announcing a fresh round of sanctions targeting Israeli citizens and entities in the West Bank. This latest stunt adds a new layer of complexity to President-elect Donald Trump’s potential plans to support settlement building in the contested territory once he resumes his rightful place in the Oval Office. It’s hard not to see this as a last-minute attempt by Biden to shove a stick in Trump’s spokes just as he prepares to hit the ground running in January.
The newly imposed sanctions follow President Biden’s earlier executive order, which seemed more like a public relations effort than a serious policy, authorizing punitive measures against Israeli settlers accused of violence against Palestinians. Somehow, in Biden’s world, the actions of a few settlers justify a broad stroke of sanctions that potentially victimize everyone involved, effectively tossing out common sense in favor of a political agenda. The moral compass of this administration appears to be off significantly, with Biden convinced that squeezing Israel will somehow lead to peace.
The Biden administration has imposed new sanctions on those involved in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank https://t.co/TdIAArGAU3 pic.twitter.com/DI8fLmGsAf
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) November 19, 2024
Timing is everything in politics, and with sanctions rolled out just two months before Trump’s return, it seems to be a deliberate move to undermine his influence before he even steps back into the presidential role. Fans of the previous administration remember Trump’s bold departure from the U.S. policy of opposing Israeli settlements, instead offering a peace plan that allowed Israel to maintain these areas. It’s quite clear that Biden wants to box Trump into a corner, but considering Trump’s new, pro-Israel cabinet picks, there’s a good chance those boxes will be short-lived.
Among those Trump has chosen to surround himself with in the new administration is former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, whose support for Israeli annexation has raised more than a few eyebrows. Huckabee’s stance indicates Trump likely won’t shy away from backing Netanyahu’s government and its expansion of settlement activities, an idea that has Biden fuming. It’s intriguing how Democrats are more invested in placing sanctions than solving the actual issues at hand.
While Trump could simply issue his own executive order to undo Biden’s sanctions once he takes office, that may prove easier said than done. The bureaucratic maelstrom surrounding these sanctions usually involves the State and Treasury Departments, meaning Trump may find himself tangled in red tape while attempting to free Israel from Biden’s heavy-handed policies. For now, the Biden administration has sanctioned Amana, a settlement development organization, along with its construction subsidiary, effectively crippling their operations. This isn’t just a slap on the wrist; it’s an outright attempt to force a political hand.
In a world where 88 Democrats recently sent a letter demanding even stricter sanctions, which Biden has mostly ignored, one can’t help but think he’s dancing to the tune of the far-left while pretending to be a centrist. By obstructing support for pro-Israel leaders like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, he’s tacitly signaling that the Biden administration has no intention of allowing any pro-Israel sentiment to flourish while he’s in charge. What’s next? Wealth redistribution from one democracy to another while the far-left claims moral superiority? Sounds about right.
