Biden’s Reelection and the War
Published in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
(Germany) on 05 November 2023
by Nikolas Busse (link to
original)
Democratic politicians are concerned that the war in Gaza could cost them valuable votes. Blinken’s mission in the Middle East can't prevent this.
The fact that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is conducting further intense talks in the Middle East is not only important for foreign policy. In Michigan, politicians are publicly letting Democratic President Joe Biden know that his position in the conflict between Hamas and Israel could affect his chances of reelection.
In 2020, Biden only narrowly won the state, which has a large Arabic population. Democratic Party strategists also do not want to overlook pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Washington and elsewhere. Europe is not the only place where immigration and naturalization are changing the discourse.
But the Americans had to reject calls for the full cease-fire demanded by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and various Arab ministers in talks with Blinken because Washington shares Israel’s goal of militarily annihilating Hamas.
And the prospects for a comprehensive political solution, which Abbas is again demanding, were not good even before the war. For the foreseeable future, Israel will be concerned with security, not a two-state solution.
One may be able to improve the situation of civilians in Gaza with humanitarian measures, as Blinken has demanded, but the situation cannot be changed, at least not for the time being. That will not be lost on the voters in Michigan either.
The fact that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is conducting further intense talks in the Middle East is not only important for foreign policy. In Michigan, politicians are publicly letting Democratic President Joe Biden know that his position in the conflict between Hamas and Israel could affect his chances of reelection.
In 2020, Biden only narrowly won the state, which has a large Arabic population. Democratic Party strategists also do not want to overlook pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Washington and elsewhere. Europe is not the only place where immigration and naturalization are changing the discourse.
But the Americans had to reject calls for the full cease-fire demanded by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and various Arab ministers in talks with Blinken because Washington shares Israel’s goal of militarily annihilating Hamas.
And the prospects for a comprehensive political solution, which Abbas is again demanding, were not good even before the war. For the foreseeable future, Israel will be concerned with security, not a two-state solution.
One may be able to improve the situation of civilians in Gaza with humanitarian measures, as Blinken has demanded, but the situation cannot be changed, at least not for the time being. That will not be lost on the voters in Michigan either.
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