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Democrats fear Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is escalating tensions in the Middle East in order to influence the outcome of the U.S. election.
This past week, Israel has increased its attack on Lebanon, targeting the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, and vowed to make Iran “pay” for its recent missile attack.
Though the United States supports Israel and provides military aid, the recent escalation appears to be a defiant move against Democratic President Joe Biden who has long desired a ceasefire deal.
On Friday, the president responded to concerns about Netanyahu interfering with the election, telling reports, “I don’t know. But I’m not counting on that.”
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, of Connecticut told CNN he fears Netanyahu is being strategic in launching attacks right before the November election.
“I certainly worry that Prime Minister Netanyahu is watching the American election as he makes decisions about his military campaigns in the north end in Gaza,” Murphy said.
“I hope this is not true, but it is certainly a possibility that the Israeli government is not going to sign any diplomatic agreement prior to the American election, as a means potentially to try to influence the result.”
For months, the U.S. has gone back and forth with Israel trying to broker a deal to stop the war in Gaza, which according to the Palestinian authorities has left more than 40,000 dead following the deadly October 7 Hamas attacks that killed around 1,200.
But last week, one of the most public moments of defiance came when the Israeli government disavowed the ceasefire agreement that Biden and French President Emmanual Macron teased. Despite calling for peace, Israel began launching airstrikes in Lebanon targeting the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.
“There is nowhere we will not go to protect our people and protect our country,” Netanyahu said in an address.
Netanyahu increased his rhetoric after the Iranian missile attack. It’s reportedly left Biden with little options but to prevent the worse outcome: attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to Politico.
The report says Biden told confidants he believes Netanyahu does not want a ceasefire deal because the conflict will “save his political future and assist Trump in November’s election.”
Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has voiced support for Israel, calling himself Israel’s “protector”.
Former South Carolina governor and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley told Fox News that “Israel does not trust Biden and Harris” because they are not supporting Israel 100 percent.
A Senate Democratic aide echoed Murphy’s remarks to The Hill, saying Netanyahu has the reputation of a “meddler” in American politics.
“I don’t think for a minute that Bibi’s not doing it just to impact domestic elections. I think he thinks he can get the Jewish vote to swing, but he may get the Arab American vote to swing,” the senior aide told The Hill.
Arab American voters tend to be progressive voters – a constituency that could vote for Democrats in November.
But Biden and Harris’s support of Israel has led to contentious feelings in the community. During the primaries, prominent Arab American communities in Michigan refused to vote for Biden, instead casting it “undecided” because he supports Israel.
“No administration has helped Israel more than I have, none, none, none. And, I think Bibi should remember that,” Biden said on Friday.
Democrats who have been trying to walk the line on the Israel–Hamas conflict, have begun to turn their face away from Israel as the country increases attacks in the name of eviscerating Hamas and Hezbollah. Approximately half of Democrats did not attend Netanyahu’s speech to Congress in July.
