End of days of unequivocal Washington support for Tel Aviv

As the conflict in Gaza escalated, it became clear that the US mainstream scenario was changing. American politicians – both progressive left-wing Democrats and others – have spoken out in favor of the Palestinians more than ever. Senators Todd Young and Chris Murphy called for a ceasefire in a bipartisan statement signed by dozens of lawmakers. This shows a change in US policy towards Israel.

The recent Gaza conflict has shown that the trend towards Israel in the United States has changed. The current violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is completely asymmetric, and this inequality has persisted for decades. At least 213 Palestinians, including 61 children, were killed in the recent conflict, while the total number of Israelis killed was 10.

Another common factor in the last few decades has been the reaction of the elites and the mainstream media in the United States, which have generally and significantly supported Israel. Until now, Israel has rarely been criticized by think tanks, political parties, or the American media.

As the conflict in Gaza escalated, it became clear that the US mainstream scenario was changing. American politicians – both progressive left-wing Democrats and others – have spoken out in favor of the Palestinians more than ever. Senators Todd Young and Chris Murphy called for a ceasefire in a bipartisan statement signed by dozens of lawmakers.

During the war, Democrats in Congress sought a resolution to force the Biden administration to suspend a $ 735 billion sale of point-and-shoot bombs to Israel, a move that was previously unusual. Senator Bernie Sanders did the same on May 20. Although none of these measures were successful, they opened up a new discourse that did not exist before.

Members of the media and journalists, including Ali Walsh, John Oliver, Mehdi Hassan, and many others, took the stage in full support of Palestinian rights. Many used terms such as “apartheid,” “war crimes,” and “ethnic cleansing,” terms that have a name but are rarely heard from mainstream politics, media, and thought in the United States.

The plight of Palestinian citizens of Israel, who face severe discrimination, also became part of the mainstream debate in the American media for the first time.

This turn is also evident in human rights think tanks and organizations. On May 19, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace issued a landmark report stressing that the United States should base its policies on the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza on a “rights-based approach.”

About a week later, Human Rights Watch, following in the footsteps of the Israeli human rights body Bey Teslam, convicted Israeli authorities of committing the crime of apartheid and torture.

The slogan “The lives of Palestinians matter”, which is an adaptation of the slogan “The lives of blacks matter”, well illustrate this shift in attitude in the United States. The lives of blacks are important, and the need for civil liberties has re-emerged among American progressives.

The Democratic Party, especially among the youth, is leaning towards the left. Despite Biden being moderate, there are a significant number of left-wing figures in Joe Biden’s campaign, including Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Both senators, like other personalities and celebrities, including actors John Kozak, Natalie Portman, and Mark Raffaello, openly supported the Palestinians.

On May 19, Martin Indyk, a former US ambassador to Israel, told Mehdi Hassan that support for Israel had been “declining” for years and that support for Palestinians was growing. Such differences “create a rift in the Democratic Party.”

However, in the last conflict, US policy remained pro-Israel. The Biden administration has repeatedly intervened in UN affairs, thwarting the Security Council’s efforts to reach a ceasefire and repeatedly supporting what it calls the “right to defend Israel” without emphasizing that this right to self-defense should only be in the context of international law.

As expected, US policies led to the disproportionate use of force by Israel and a significant number of civilian casualties. In addition, the right of the Palestinians to defend themselves against Israeli attacks, as well as condemnation of the killing of Palestinian civilians, was not even mentioned by the US government, and when it emphasized these issues, the government made bizarre statements.

At the moment, US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not changing, but the mainstream debate is definitely changing. Earlier this week, 500 Biden government officials wrote an open letter to the US president stressing the need for a more balanced approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The question is not whether policies will change or not, especially US policy regarding Israel but the timing of the sudden change. In addition, the sharp rise of right-wing in Israeli politics will only widen the gap between Israel and the American left, including the Democratic Party. The long-standing truth is that Palestinians’ life really matters.