Biden, Frustrated by Netanyahu, Could Be Plotting, Once the U.S. Election Is Over, To Block Israeli Leader at the United Nations

If President Biden seeks to use the period between November 5 and January 20 to block Prime Minister Netanyahu, contrary to the wishes of Congress, one tried and true option could be to turn to the United Nations. The clash between leaders at Washington and Jerusalem is accelerating as the Jewish state intensifies its military assault on enemies intent on erasing Israel off the map. As Mr. Biden directs his “don’ts” at Israel, Mr. Netanyahu constantly defies him.Although Israel is finally turning the war to its advantage, the president is reportedly planning to use the post-election period to get back at Mr. Netanyahu. Officials at Jerusalem tell the Sun they doubt it would happen, but others insist a Washington revenge is a possibility. The Times of Israel recently cited an unidentified former senior Washington official who says that Mr. Biden is weighing options to punish Mr. Netanyahu. As confronting Israel now might be unpopular with voters, the president could use the lame-duck period to do so. “The list of steps Biden could take would be longer” if Vice President Harris wins the election, the former official tells the website, “since she is less likely to reverse them.” Yet, even if President Trump wins and then undoes these measures, “some steps still might be taken, because they would set a precedent that would give other Western countries legitimacy to follow suit.” One such measure could be a new Security Council resolution. “It has happened before,” a former Israeli ambassador at the UN, Deniel Carmon, tells the Sun. “After elections in the U.S. and before the actual power shift, an outgoing administration might facilitate, or decline to veto a resolution that Israel might be unhappy with, and leave it as a legacy to the next administration.”Most memorably, as President Obama was on his way out, Washington abstained in December 2016 on Security Council Resolution 2334, which claimed that Jewish settlements have “no legal validity” in “Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.”That resolution stung Jerusalem, as it saw America’s active participation in forging the resolution as a clear payback by Mr. Obama aimed at Mr. Netanyahu. Currently, Israelis say Mr. Biden — even though he was Mr. Obama’s vice president — is unlikely to repeat that stunt.“We don’t expect this to happen,” a senior Israeli official tells the Sun. “Back in 2016, it was a personal agenda of President Obama against Prime Minister Netanyahu. Today, there are disagreements sometimes, but it’s a completely different atmosphere.”Pro-Israel Americans are less optimistic. “We should assume that like Obama, the Biden White House will facilitate some kind of Security Council resolution that harms Israel during the lame duck period,” a former White House official, Richard Goldberg, writes on X. It could perhaps involve a “full statehood recognition for the Palestinians,” he writes, noting that “a future administration cannot roll back” a Council resolution. While Mr. Biden took a strong pro-Israel stance in the immediate aftermath of last October 7’s atrocities, relations with Mr. Netanyahu went downhill as the war progressed.Administration officials claim Mr. Netanyahu is prolonging the war for political reasons. At the same time, they are trying to micromanage Israel’s war efforts on the eve of an American election, when a Mideast calm would help Democrats. Some Democrats now claim that beyond his own political survival, the Israeli premier is also trying to help Republicans win in November. “I certainly worry that Prime Minister Netanyahu is watching the American election as he makes decisions about his military campaigns,” Senator Murphy of Connecticut told CNN Wednesday. Mr. Biden this week warned Iran of severe “consequences” if it attacked Israel. Now, however, he is leaning on Mr. Netanyahu to temper his response to Tuesday’s unprecedented Iranian assault, in which nearly 200 ballistic missiles were launched at Israeli territory. An Israeli attack on Iran’s oil fields could lead to price hikes, which could hurt Ms. Harris’s campaign. Mr. Biden told reporters on Wednesday that he is opposed to striking Iran’s nuclear facilities, adding that Israel must respond “proportionally.”The president already consulted with counterparts from the G-7, but is yet to speak directly with Mr. Netanyahu — who might not listen anyway. Washington advised against a ground invasion of Gaza last October. Yet, Israel went in. Later, Mr. Biden warned against entering Rafah, before Israel successfully dismantled Hamas’s remaining divisions there.After Mr. Biden and President Macron of France called for a 21-day cease-fire in Lebanon last month, Israel nevertheless killed a host of Hezbollah’s commanders, including Hassan Nasrallah, who has much American blood on his hands. Together, Israel and America perhaps can now fulfill Mr. Biden’s vow to stop Iran’s nuclear program. Will the animosity between the leaders prevent the allies from seizing the moment?

Biden, Frustrated by Netanyahu, Could Be Plotting, Once the U.S. Election Is Over, To Block Israeli Leader at the United Nations

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