Biden highlights US commitment during meeting with Israeli president

US President Joe Biden underscored Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel on Wednesday during his meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House.

The meeting discussed regional security challenges, including the threat posed by Iran and ways to deepen Israel’s regional integration and normalization with the Arab world.

“I will say this 5,000 times in my career, the iron commitment that the United States has with Israel based on our principles, our ideas, our values,” he told Herzog in front of reporters before their meeting.

The visit came ahead of a possible domestic political shift, as the United States and Israel face elections in the coming weeks.

“Our friendship and strong bond transcend all political differences, opinions and parties,” Herzog said.

The visit is not expected to produce any significant results, but it is loaded with symbolism.

“Both sides have an interest in trying to make sure the relationship is seen as something that is nonpartisan in American politics,” said Jonathan Rynhold, head of the political studies department at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University.

Rynhold told the VOA that it would be a good optic for Biden to be seen with the center-left Herzog because “it makes Israel non-controversial for Democrats.”

upcoming elections

Polls suggest that in the upcoming November midterm elections, Democrats could lose the slim majority they hold in the House of Representatives.

In the same month, Israel will hold its elections, its fifth in four years, a close contest that will pit former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Yair Lapid, who has been interim prime minister since July following the collapse of Naftali Bennett’s government.

With no clear majority predicted, and the Israeli president’s role in asking the prime minister to form a government, Biden will want to know what Herzog is thinking, Rynhold said. And with Israeli presidents elected every seven years, Herzog will be there no matter who becomes the next prime minister.

“If it’s a Netanyahu government and it’s a far-right government, then President Herzog may be seen as an easier channel to deal with,” Rynhold said.

Israel and Lebanon

In early October, after months of mediation by the administration, Biden announced a “historic breakthrough,” in which Israel and Lebanon agreed to formally end a maritime boundary dispute and establish a permanent maritime boundary.

The parties are scheduled to sign the agreement on Thursday.

“It took a lot of courage to step up and do it,” Biden told Herzog on Wednesday. “It took a lot of guts, and I think it took principles and persistent diplomacy to pull it off.”

In the absence of the agreement, a conflict may break out between the two countries, Rynhold said. Given the weapons now available to Hezbollah, he added, this would mean heavy civilian casualties in Israel and in Lebanon if Israel retaliates.

With Beirut agreeing to recognize a demarcation line in the Mediterranean Sea between Israel and Lebanon, the deal allows Israel to ensure its own security in those waters, removing a point of friction with Hezbollah. And while the deal doesn’t constitute full recognition, it is more than Beirut has done in the past.

The deal would also allow cash-strapped Lebanon to start exploring offshore gas wells, which, if they come online, would add to the cost of the conflict with Israel.

“Being able to exploit these natural gas wells, which will take time, perhaps many years before they are fully operational, is critical to the future survival of Lebanon,” Jonathan Lord told the Times. VOA. Lord is director of the Middle East security program at the Center for a New American Security.

However, the agreement is not a solution to the deeper problems between Israel and Lebanon, said David Hale, a former ambassador to Lebanon and a global fellow at the Wilson Center.

“The general fact that Hezbollah can make Tehran-controlled life and death decisions for all Lebanese remains a factor,” he said. “So the potential for escalation of violence, unfortunately, probably hasn’t changed significantly with this deal.”

regional air defense

In June, Israel announced that it is building a US-sponsored Middle East Air Defense Alliance, a network of air defense systems with its Gulf neighbors to thwart Iranian attacks.

A bill that would promote the development of such a defense architecture is currently being considered in the United States Congress.

The Biden administration is pursuing this to potentially reduce the US military footprint in the region, Lord said, but many of the details of the plan have not been made public.

“Whether it’s a network that all partners operate under, or more of what’s known as a hub-and-spoke system where all partners will potentially contact US Central Command who will then send information to other partners. [aún está por verse]said Lord to the VOA.

National Security Council strategic communications adviser John Kirby told the VOA during a briefing Wednesday that there is no timeline for this defense architecture.

“Central Command [de EEUU] is working through the modalities with our partners in the region,” he said.

A regional air defense system may facilitate broader diplomatic recognition of Israel by Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, following the 2020 Abraham Accords: normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain brokered by the administration. Trump.

Herzog noted that Wednesday marks 40 days since the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who died in police custody after being arrested for improperly wearing a state-required hijab or veil.

Iran is “crushing its own citizens, moving towards nuclear weapons and supplying deadly weapons that are killing innocent citizens in Ukraine,” Herzog said, referring to Tehran supplying Russia with drones used in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Iran denies the allegation.

Israel’s support for Ukraine

Israel rejected Ukraine’s request for Israeli air defense systems that could shoot down Russian-operated Iranian drones, but offered to help the Ukrainians develop airstrike alerts for civilians. Israel has condemned the Russian invasion, but has so far limited its assistance to Ukraine to humanitarian aid.

Asked if Biden asked Herzog to have Israel reconsider the request, Kirby told VOA that the administration is not “trying to blame one country” for providing a specific capability to Ukraine. “It has to be his decision,” she said.

With a Russian military presence in Syria, Israel needs to coordinate with Moscow to avoid hitting Russian forces while attacking Iranian missile bases in Syria. Alienating Moscow may also make it significantly more difficult for Israel to target Iranian arms shipments destined for adversary groups.

“They are focused on not antagonizing Moscow so they can continue to protect their own borders from weapons. [iraníes] that fall into the hands of Hezbollah and other indirect actors,” Lord said.

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