There Not a Man of Reason in American Administration?

By: Ayman Okeil

Whenever talks arise about a potential ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, White House National Security Communications Advisor, John Kirby, consistently announces United States opposition of such a proposal. United States has used its veto power to shoot down a draft resolution at the UN Security Council calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. Furthermore, it has been indicated that the United States would veto any other resolution aimed at halting military operations in Gaza.

This leads us to question: What is President Biden attempting to convey through his actions in the Gaza Strip?

It is estimated that America does not want the conflict to escalate with the involvement of additional parties, as such an escalation could potentially lead to a regional -or even global- war, the consequences of which are unpredictable. However, the open-ended support the White House provides to Israel does not guarantee that this war will be contained within the borders of the Gaza Strip. When will President Biden and his administration recognize the disastrous consequences of allowing this war to continue?

It is widely known that President Biden has been a longstanding supporter of Israel throughout his political career. He repeated a line in 1986 and 2023 emphasizing the importance of Israel’s existence, stating, “If Israel didn’t exist, we would have to invent it.”

However, I have always understood that America is a nation of institutions, not an individual. Is there no man of reason in the American administration who realizes that Israel has exceeded what it claims is its right to self-defense, and stops the provision of weapons to the occupying power in the Palestinian territories?

How long will America persist in creating enemies in the Middle East to justify its presence? The old claims of the communist threat or the need to combat terrorism or eliminate nuclear weapons in Iraq were used as justifications for its involvement in the region. Additionally, the concept of the “white man’s burden,” which the United States previously employed to justify its presence in Afghanistan and other countries, is now outdated.

Arab and Middle Eastern peoples no longer find these justifications believable. We cannot forget the former US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, who, during the invasion of Iraq, delivered a 76-minute speech before the Security Council to justify the war, only to later express regret and call it a “blot” on his record.  This sentiment was echoed by Condoleezza Rice in a speech she delivered in Cairo in June 2005 when she stated, “America pursued stability at the expense of democracy in the Middle East—and we achieved neither.”

In essence, unless American administration contemplates utilizing all available means to bring an end to the conflict in the Gaza Strip and demonstrates a genuine commitment to doing so, it risks cultivating generations of individuals harboring animosity towards America and its leaders. It must recognize that safeguarding its interests in the Middle East requires more than just staunchly defending Israel; it entails building trust with Arab and Central Eastern peoples. American administration needs to acknowledge that the strategy it relied upon to garner support from Arab and potentially international public opinion against the October 7 attacks has faltered due to Israel’s unjustified brutality in the Gaza Strip and its disregard for the IHL principles.