Biden has done some questionable things lately as I mentioned in previous blogs. To my surprise I find that he has called himself a Zionist and supports Israel and said on October 5, 2006, that "as a Democrat, their support comes from their guts, moves through their hearts, and ends up in their heads. It's almost genetic."
Biden has held the important chair of Foreign Relations Committee. He has supported Israel in his own way according to his own interests, not necessarily in accordance to Israel's best interests.
Way back during the Lebanon War of 1982 during a committee hearing, Biden attacked Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria and threatened that if Israel did not immediately cease this activity, the US would be forced to cut economic aid to Israel. He then raised his voice and banged two times on the table with his fist.
Begin said, "This desk is designed for writing, not for fists. Don't threaten us with cutting aid. Just because you lend us money doesn't give you the entitlement of telling us what we must do. We are grateful for your assistance but we will not be threatened. We have 3,000 years of culture behind us, and you can't frighten me. We don't want one soldier of yours to die for us."
Biden is now denying that he said that he secretly told Israeli officials several years ago that they would have to accept the idea that Iran will acquire nuclear weapons. Israeli Army Radio reported that he continued with "Israel will have to reconcile itself with the nuclearization of Iran." Biden does not feel that isolating Iran is the best way to combat their nuclear ambitions. He has been urging sensitivity to their needs. To many, he has said that a nuclear Iran is "unacceptable." It's questionable what he really thinks about dealing with Iran.
His record is that he has worked with Israeli leaders from Prime Minister Golda Meier to Prime Minister Olmert. He has always worked for protecting the relationship between the two countries and has consistently stated that a nuclear Iran wuld pose a grave threat to Israel and the United States and that we must prevent a nuclear Iran. In fact, it may be felt that Obama selected Biden to shore up the support with the Jews in the USA. So far, Obama is only interested in direct negotiations with Iran. There is no suggestion of military action against them, either by the USA or Israel.
On January 2006 Biden said, "Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with a party that calls for its destruction, engages in terrorism and maintains an armed militia. Hamas must choose bullets or ballots." It looks to me like they have chosen bullets, being they will not join Fatah and some continue to shoot rockets into southern Israel during a cease fire.
However, Israel does feel that by 2010 Iran will have developed nuclear capability, though they say they only need it for electricity. At that time, Israel with be in great danger, if not today. They're not going to sit around just waiting to be wiped off the map. Iran has made too many ugly threats.
Biden must remember that Israel is not the 51st state of the USA. It is its own "man", and also has self interests, just like the USA. We've had a relationship of "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." Let's hope that the next president will want to continue our deep relationship for the benefit of all, and not be suckered into a relationship of deception that might just turn against Israel for the sake of obtaining oil, or other favors.
Reference: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/objects/pages/PrintArticleEn.jhtml?itemNo=755798 9/3/2008
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1014477.html 9/3/2008
http://www.israelunitycoalition.org/news/article.php?id=3091 8/28/2008
Article: When Jewish Leaders Could Stand Up to the US from Moshe Zak March 1992
Time Magazine 7/5/1982
Biden Threatened to Cut off Aid to Israel 27 Aug 2008
http://www.newsmax.com/printTemplate.html 9/3/2008 by Jim Meyers
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