Washington - One month after the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation and the subsequent ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, which has so far resulted in the death of more than 10,000 Palestinians and the injury of more than 30,000 others, it is not easy for those who follow American affairs to understand the logic behind the full support from President Joe Biden for this aggression.

With the continued bombing, Israel’s closure and siege of the Gaza Strip, and the complete destruction of the infrastructure and services, including schools, hospitals, and power stations, American public anger increases over President Biden’s position of supporting, without any restrictions or conditions, the Israeli aggression.

In this context, Al Jazeera Net interviewed Ms. Lara Friedman, President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP), about Biden’s position and justifications for providing this “blank check” bond to Israel to do whatever it wants with the Gaza Strip and its residents, without regard to any legal, moral or ethical dimensions. Humanity.

Friedman heads the Middle East Peace Foundation, which was founded in 1979 and “works to ensure a just, safe, and peaceful future for Palestinians and Israelis.” Ms. Friedman previously worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and served in diplomatic positions in Jerusalem, Washington, Tunisia, and Beirut. She also previously served as Director of Policy and Government Relations at Americans for Peace Now.

The organization funds programs, projects and initiatives that serve several priorities: The most important of which are: enhancing respect for international law, democratic standards, human rights and dignity in the Israeli-Palestinian context.

As well as "supporting and sustaining the anti-occupation sector, and enabling Palestinians to remain in their homeland," in addition to "working to expand the space for criticism of Israeli policies and procedures, and supporting Palestinian voices, including within universities, in the media, and in public debate." The organization issues a weekly report on Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank.

How do you evaluate Biden's position and policy towards the current crisis?

I believe that the Biden administration's response to the Hamas attacks last October 7 is "understandable, and his position in support of Israel at that time is understandable, correct, and expected after it was subjected to these massive terrorist attacks."

But since then, Biden's position has become very problematic. Supporting Israel does not mean giving it a blank check to do what it wants and however it wants with 2.3 million Palestinians, who are the entire population of the Gaza Strip, and this is exactly what Biden and his administration are doing regarding this crisis.

How do you explain Biden taking this position?

I do not know what is going on inside President Biden's head, but from an analytical standpoint, it appears that he has adopted the Israeli framing that says, we have the right to self-defense, and for them this means that we have an absolute right to do anything, and we do what we see fit to pursue Hamas. In Gaza in this context.

And again, this appears to be what the Biden administration has advocated in this context. Therefore, any civilians killed in Gaza are not Israel's fault, but rather blame Hamas.

Israel says, and Biden agrees, that Hamas started this battle, and that Hamas is using civilians as human shields, or that it is the fault of the civilians themselves for not moving away from the bombing areas in which they are warned not to stay, or that it is the fault of the civilians for not uprooting the Hamas movement before all of this. Therefore, it seems that the Biden administration has adopted the Israeli narrative 100%.

On the other hand, as you know, I think there is a psychological dimension to understanding Biden's position. I mean, the president is fiercely loyal to Israel, and that's proven in word and deed, and that's something he repeats with great pride.

And even there are some Israelis who say that deep devotion to Israel is not synonymous with putting no limits on what Israel can do. Arguably, that is not good for Israel.

There are, of course, Biden's political calculations, and there is enormous pressure, and this comes from Congress, and from various organizations that deal with the Biden administration, and impose enormous pressure to support Israel.

There is enormous pressure to frame any counter-narrative, any narrative that says, Israel is doing something wrong, or Israel should not do something, that makes it synonymous with anti-Israel or “anti-Semitism,” or is accused of supporting Hamas, and these are the political calculations. All of the above is part of Biden’s calculations regarding the events taking place in Gaza.

What does Biden’s adoption of the Israeli framing of the war mean?

The Biden administration's adoption of the Israeli framing results in essentially relieving Israel of any responsibility for what it does on the ground against civilians, and placing all responsibility on Hamas, even if Israel is dropping huge bombs on areas and neighborhoods densely populated with innocent civilians.

What is the most important thing your organization is doing as the aggression on the Gaza Strip continues?

Our organization is a non-profit, not a lobby group, and we are not an advocacy group. We are working and coordinating with a number of non-governmental organizations to continue to support Palestinian organizations and some Israeli organizations, especially in the context of supporting Gaza and the people of Gaza.

Currently, we are working to provide grants to many Palestinian institutions and initiatives so that they can carry out useful service and knowledge activities and projects.

Do you classify what is happening now in Gaza as “ethnic cleansing” or a “war crime”?

I am not an expert in international law, and this is a question that legal experts answer. I know that international lawyers are discussing this, and that there is a whole discussion taking place now about this classification.

But in my opinion, as a political analyst here and an observer of the American position, does what is happening meet the legal definition of genocide? Does what is happening meet the legal definition of war crimes? As a non-lawyer, I think it is.

But, I would say, at this point, arguing about words and terms seems to be a luxury that people outside Gaza have, where we can argue about which words to use.

I'd rather people focus on what's actually happening, whether you want to call it "genocide" or not. The clear intention of many in the Israeli government and in the Israeli army, as they express their intentions, is to erase Palestinian life in all or most parts of the Gaza Strip.

There is a clear intention expressed by many to try to push the Palestinians as much as possible from Gaza to Sinai or beyond. Aside from this intention, look at the actions on the ground. They are killing thousands of civilians, including thousands of children, and they do not seem to stop. Rather, they seem to be accelerating it.

If you don't want to call it ethnic cleansing, that's fine. But let's talk about the fact that there are over a million people who have already been forced to flee their homes, due to the ongoing bombing in the south. These are measures and actions to displace them further and further, and the Israelis do not hide this. They want them to move beyond the borders.

So I feel that the debate about "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide" is important, but for people who want to argue about this, I would say, what's more important is to talk about what's happening on the ground, let's talk about Israeli officials declaring what they're trying to achieve. .

Do you think that the Biden administration has set red lines for the Israelis, whether with regard to the number of casualties or a time limit for military attacks, or has given them a green light?

This is a very important question, and I mean starting from what we've seen so far, the Biden administration hasn't set any red lines. If they have red lines, we will know about it immediately.

The Biden administration may discover at a more serious stage later, and talk about the problem of the absence of any red lines, but so far, Israel has already crossed many of the red lines related to international law, related to international humanitarian law, and the laws of war, and it can be said that the red lines have been crossed. It has surpassed it in the eyes of world public opinion.

I do not know when the Biden administration will say to Israel, “Enough is enough. You have killed sufficient numbers of Palestinians, or wounded huge numbers.” Let us not forget that the effects of all this on the Palestinians are still horrific. I mean the numbers of dead and wounded, and then there are buildings and areas destroyed that will certainly never be rebuilt.

What effect do you think this killing and destruction has on the Israeli army?

It is important to note the impact of what the Israeli army does on combat doctrines around the world. This is the first time that an army can do whatever it wants without any deterrents or limits preventing it from behaving in such a horrific manner.

Yes, this is not the first time that armies and countries have behaved horribly in war, including the United States, look at Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Gaza war brought about a new military combat doctrine, which states that there are no red lines at all. This allows the Israeli government to do all this, at a time when the Biden administration promises that Israel is still a good victim, and that it respects international law.

What do you tell Arab readers about the interactions of the Gaza war within Washington?

Honestly, I don't think I have anything more to say than what I've already said. I mean, Washington's actions, policies, and values speak for themselves in this conflict, and it's very difficult to imagine what the future looks like. The United States has taken equally indefensible actions in the past, such as the invasion of Iraq.

Today, even if the motive is to rally and support solidarity with the incredibly traumatized Israeli people following the attacks of last October 7, and Israel's right to self-defense. But what we are witnessing is much further than that. Even if you believe that Israel's only mission here is to remove Hamas, and if you actually believe that, it is difficult to imagine Israel having a free hand to do anything, literally, for every man, woman and child in the Gaza Strip.

I cannot imagine that this is consistent with the values of America or the values of the Americans who elected Joe Biden. The aggression taking place today against the innocent citizens of the Gaza Strip cannot be explained or justified.

Source: Al Jazeera