Palestine advocates slam Biden's 'victory lap' over Gaza ceasefire | Middle East Eye |
The administration's approach of unquestioning public support for Israel coupled with what officials have called "quiet" and "relentless" diplomacy had earned rebuke from progressives.
On Friday, the White House sent an email to reporters titled, "WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: President Biden's Remarks on the Ceasefire in the Middle East."
It included remarks lauding the US administration by dozens of Congress members, analysts and pro-Israel lobby groups, including AIPAC. Missing from it was any Palestinian, Arab or Muslim American voices.
Palestinian rights advocates are rejecting giving Biden credit for the truce that went into effect early on Friday, blaming him for prolonging the war by blocking UN Security Council calls for an immediate ceasefire.
In turn, President Biden bestows elaborate praise on ally PM Bibi Netanyahu. Briefly mentioning Egyptian General Al Sisi, whom he spoke for the first time on Thursday.
Remarks by President Biden on the Middle East | White House - May 20, 2021 |
Egypt has taken political and diplomatic steps to encourage ceasefire, condemn the Israeli aggression, and support the Palestinian's legitimate rights.
Since May 7, Israeli forces in the West Bank and Jerusalem have been engaged in clashes with civilians who were protesting forced displacement, particularly from Sheikh Jarrah eastern Jerusalem, and assaults on worshippers in Al Aqsa Mosque. And, since May 10, Israel has been shelling and carrying out airstrikes against Gaza Strip. The aggression has thus far incurred 236 deaths and 6,278 injuries, as reported by the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA).
The strikes also caused the destruction of more than 200 residential units in Gaza Strip and 31 educational establishments, including schools, colleges, and vocational training centers. According to the United Nations, 40,000 Palestinians got displaced - mainly from the North to the South - while 2,500 lost their homes.
Israeli FM Ashkenazi praises Cairo efforts to reach ceasefire in Gaza
US media doing their duty to set a new narrative from inside the Washington bubble to educate the American public with their "facts"... thank goodness the local citizens journalists are present in Gaza-Ramallah. and Jerusalem.
Inside Biden's 'quiet,' 'relentless' diplomatic scramble on Gaza | NBC News |
The Israeli government was always prepared to lose the global public relations battle and take heat from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. But Israeli officials were surprised to lose the battle among more centrist congressional Democrats, particularly Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees. When Murphy and Kaine called for a cease-fire, Israeli officials knew the pressure was going to mount.
That gave Biden leverage to increase the pressure on Netanyahu.
Yet while administration officials were confident that Biden could deal effectively with Netanyahu, they needed someone to restrain Hamas. Four days before the cease-fire was announced, Egypt showed that it could play that role. The Egyptians told the U.S. that Hamas' long-range rockets would stop going into Tel Aviv -- and they did.
Overall, Biden's personal diplomacy had an intentionally narrow focus. It wasn't until Thursday that he held his first phone call since the violence began with a leader in the region other than Netanyahu or Abbas. Biden spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi.
Biden's message to al-Sissi was essentially that he was encouraging the Israelis to end the conflict -- and that he needed to make sure the other side would do the same.
Al Aqsa police action ...
Cease-fire agreement did not affect Temple Mount in East Jerusalem according to police statements.
Unrest inside Mosque on Friday as worshipers ousted Grand Mufti for not mentioning Gaza or Hamas in prayers. The PA stooge was chased off the pulpit. Hamas has managed to make the battle about the status of Jerusalem, a phase the political establishment thought was solved with the signing of the Abraham "Business" Accords with authoritarian Arab nations.
MK Ben-Gvir urged the police be instructed to use live fire to shoot the "terrorists In the head" instead of wasting rubber bullets on Temple Mount.
For Jordan, Turkey and Qatar it's about the Palestinian people too ... for all other Islamic states , the offence is entry by Jews inside the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif during worship.
...
"As soon as the noon prayer service ended, a riot broke out," a spokeswoman for the Jerusalem District Police said in a statement quoted by NBC News. "Following this, the Jerusalem District Commander, Doron Turgeman, ordered the police forces to enter the Temple Mount and deal with the rioters ... and at the same time allowed uninvolved people to leave."
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee approves extension of declaration of a special situation on the home front. Chairwoman MK Barbivay: "We've reached a state of anarchy".
I-P Coverage Journalists Under Fire
Prominent Israeli journalist Asaf Ronel resigns over Haaretz Jaffa coverage
AP Fires Journalist Over Pro-Palestine Views
You should know ... Emily Wilder | Jewish AZ - Nov. 2020 | [cached]
Reply to ...
CNN Reporter with Pro-Israel Opinion Interviews FM Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi
Perhaps with the Maxwells-Murdochs-Adelsons media empires in the Australian-United Kingdom-Israel-USA these outlets are strong influencers of opinion, the global community is however much larger. Social media and citizens journalism can offset much of the biased damage done. The resultant of rightwing policy is populist leaders which do constitute a threat for Democracy. It doesn't need to happen. Pakistan has released the murderers of US journalist Daniel Pearl.
Israeli-Arab Negotiations: Background, Conflicts, and U.S. Policy
Israel Loses the War, Again
Dennis Ross the eternal reference for Hillary Clinton how to approach the Palestinians is still making the rounds on national prime time television about the Middle East crisis.
Dennis Ross side-lined at State over his foreign agent status with Israel
Ross' problems within the Obama administration began when it was discovered that he failed to register as a foreign agent for the government of Israel in his capacity as the chairman of the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute (JPPPI) * in Jerusalem. Unlike the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and WINEP, the JPPPI is run by the Jewish Agency, which is an organ of the Israeli government. Official statement
US Interests vs. The Jewish State
* Renamed as an Independent Institute -- Jewish People Policy Institute
Fantasies of a Middle East Envoy | The Cairo Review |
Veteran U.S. policymaker Dennis Ross argues that the U.S.-Israeli relationship is "doomed to succeed." But a hardheaded look at the political, demographic, and ethnic changes in both countries suggests otherwise.
U.S. envoy Dennis Ross with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Jerusalem, Aug. 10, 1997. (Photo: Jacqueline Arzt / AP)
From the diaries ...
Dennis Ross Moves to NSC ¶ A Hawk Within? | July -2009 |
Dennis Ross Back in Town | May 2011 |
Whether it's his home town Jerusalem or his place of business Washington DC, Dennis Ross is once again the president's advisor on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I just read two interesting articles/analysis in the Jerusalem Post.
Obama Turncoats: CNN Facilitates UANI Advocate Pro-Israel | July - 2015 |
A pro-Israel and anti-Iran stance written in a Letter to Obama on the P5+1 negotiations shortly before reaching the June 30 deadline, covered by CNN GPS host Fareed Zakaria on Sunday.
"It was signed by 18 experts, including five former top Obama administration officials who were critical advisers on Iran. Those senior advisers include former State Department official Robert Einhorn, former White House official Gary Samore, former State Department adviser Dennis Ross and retired Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. James Cartwright.
Members of a bipartisan group of experts have been meeting regularly within the last three years, under the auspices of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy [WINEP] to discuss the Iran nuclear issue, the letter said."
Biden Blames US Allies in Middle East for Rise of ISIL
US Vice-President Joe Biden has accused America's key allies in the Middle East of allowing the rise of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group, saying they supported extremists with money and weapons in their eagerness to oust the Assad regime in Syria.
Jordan to participate in 'train and equip' programme against IS | MEE - March 2015 |
Government spokesman says Jordan will train members of 'Syrian tribes' to fight against IS militants
Biden and Cabinet Stand with Israel - Review
In an April 2007 interview, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) declares "I am a Zionist" and discusses his support for Israel.
