News

Is Rep. Waltz right Biden admin 'incredibly unhelpful' in Israel-Palestine conflict?

WRITTEN BY
05/12/21
vs

Fact Box

  • On Tuesday, May 11, 2021, Rep. Michael Waltz told Fox News that the Biden administration’s actions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are “incredibly unhelpful and destabilizing.”
  • Conflict between Israelis and Palestinians have erupted since the fighting started at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday because of the possible eviction of Palestinians homes claimed by Jews. Israel Defense Forces reported “over 200 rockets and mortar shells” fired from Gaza toward Israel with Israel retaliating with 130 airstrikes.
  • The White House “condemned” the attacks while supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, however, the goal is “de-escalation.” 
  • As of May 12, 2021, the Israel-Hamas conflict has resulted in 35 Palestinian deaths and five Israeli deaths. 
  • Hamas is a militaristic Islamic Resistance Movement that operates primarily in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. It was founded in 1987 and calls for the “eradication of the State of Israel.”
  • Tension have run high for over a hundred years between Jewish people and Palestinian Arabs. The center of the debate is in the ownership of the land; for Jews, it is their home of ancestry, but Palestinians claim it under Ottoman ownership.

Ethan (No)

Many times, the US has been criticized for getting involved in the issues of other countries. By taking his 'hands-off' approach, President Biden is staying mostly out of business that isn't ours, which is the best way to help them deal with their problems. The help we are offering is simply monitoring the situation from a distance without swaying the outcome. Biden's administration has said, 'it is politically unwise to get actively involved in Israeli-Palestinian matters or dragged into an intractable conflict.'

COVID-19 recovery, police brutality, and gun violence are just a handful of the issues the United States is dealing with right now. Our country doesn't have the time to help other countries or societies when our own issues need to be solved. By taking the middle ground in this conflict, President Biden is helping the situation by not giving one side or the other the support of the United States and letting them take the power of figuring out their issues into their own hands. 

Biden isn't the only one who wants to take a 'hands-off' approach either. According to Politico, 'officials and analysts who watch the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can understand the reluctance to wade into it now.' If the situation between Israel and Palestine escalates, President Biden will undoubtedly offer more help. But, for now, the amount of support he's offering is perfectly reasonable given the level of conflict going on. As in the past, if a war breaks out, the United States will not hesitate to provide more aid in the name of freedom. 


Tyler (Yes)

Rep. Michael Waltz's criticism of President Biden is completely warranted to call out the President's hesitancy in standing up for our ally country Israel in this current conflict. Although this presidential administration has already lent a helping hand to both of these countries in separate cases, the United States' ties with Israel run significantly deeper. 

Biden has failed to condemn the terrorists that have run into conflicts with Israeli security forces in the recent attacks in Jerusalem. On the morning of May 11th, a barrage of rockets landed near Tel Aviv, killing five Israeli's. While the Israeli Army is exhausting all efforts to protect its citizens, the death toll will only continue to rise if there is no attempt to intervene. 

US taxpayer dollars are being allocated towards Palestine's government with very few guidelines. On April 7th, the Biden Administration announced intentions to implement $235 million dollars of aid to assist the nation's rebound from a 2018 financial crisis. The restoration plan lacks detailed instructions and formatting, leaning on the fact that it is simply a step above former President Trump's cold-shoulder toward Palestine throughout his presidency. With such a substantial donation, Biden should feel prompted to hold the nation of Palestine accountable for its part in the recent violence they have perpetrated against Israelis. Although he is attempting to withhold cordial relations with both countries, he should keep the best interests of these nation's citizens in mind. 

Perhaps Biden's reluctance to shed light on the situation is due to the amount of money put into the situation. Either way, both nations will continue to suffer as the brutality will only escalate if tensions continue to rise without mitigation.

  • chat-ic0
  • like-ic3
  • chart-ic24
  • share-icShare

Comments

0 / 1000