Selected articles concerning Israel, published weekly by Suburban Orthodox Toras Chaim’s (Baltimore) Israel Action Committee Edited by Jerry Appelbaum ( [email protected] ) | Founding editor: Sheldon J. Berman Z”L Issue 8 7 6 Volume 2 1 , Number 7 Parshias Mishpatim | Shekalim | Rosh Chodesh Adar February 13 , 20 2 1 Biden’s already backing down on Iran? By Jonathan S. Tobin jns.org February 9, 2021 The president sent a strong message to Tehran about deal before Biden lifts sanctions on them, Psaki made it nuclear talks. A day later, his spokesperson walked it clear that w hen it comes to Biden’s statements on the back, showing that Obama - era appeasers remain in subject, we shouldn’t believe our lying eyes and ears. charge. Here’s the exchange as reported by In his first major foreign - policy speech delivered last RealClearPolitics.com: week, President Joe Biden sent a variety of confusing and “Since then, the [Iranian] Supreme Leader has said the mixed messages, but one thing was clear: Whatever U.S. needs to act first,” CBS’s Weijia Jiang t old Psaki. “Is Donald Trump was for, he was against. Thus, he sounded this a non - negotiable point for President Biden, and if so, tough on Russia but soft on China. And though he paid lip how do you get out of this stalemate?” service to the idea that his administration would emphasize “Just to be clear, the president never said that, cooperation with allies, once you got into the details about exactly,” the White House press secretary replied. “It was that idea, it was obvi ous that Biden wasn’t terribly stated by the interviewer, Norah O’Donnell, and he didn’t interested in working with Israel and Saudi Arabia — respond to the question.” America’s two most important friends in the Middle East. “Well, he nodded,” said Jiang. That contradicted the narrative about Trump’s “I think if we were announcing a major policy change, “America First” policies and those Biden says he will we would do it in a different way than a slight head nod,” pursue. So did th e president’s assertion that there would be Psaki replied, saying that their position has not changed. no line between foreign and domestic policy, and that the T hat’s good news for Khamenei and the rest of the best interests of American workers would be paramount in Islamist theocrats, who have probably had trouble his objectives, which sounds like an echo of Trump’s containing their glee over the announcement that veteran policies. Iran and terror appeaser Robert Malley had been named as But the real contradiction about h is foreign policy is Biden’s point man on the issue. not the one between Biden and Trump. It may be the one It was a si gnal to anyone who had any doubts that between Biden and Biden. If a major Biden policy stand Malley and the rest of the Obama alumni association that on Iran can’t last even a day, then it’s not certain who’s in has returned to the corridors of power that just as was the charge — the president, or his handlers and staff, who may case from 2013 to 2015 during the first round of Iran think the president can’t be trusted to stick to the policies negotiations, whenever the ayatollahs say “no, ” Americans they’ve drawn up for him if let loose in an interview on desperate for a deal at any price will merely concede the television. point and move on to their next concession. On Sunday, Biden appeared in a much - publicized pre - Nor is this a minor point. If Iran doesn’t at least go Super Bowl interview on CBS with Norah O’Donnell. back to the situation that existed in January 2017, then When she asked about Iran, he sounded as tough as nails Biden’s talk about the necessi ty for resuming the when it comes to talks to get them back into compliance agreement that was former President Barack Obama’s with the dangerously weak nuclear deal that his Obama signature foreign - policy achievement is meaningless. administration colleagues negotiated in 2015. Even if Iran were to do so, that wouldn’t make the In response to O’Donnell’s question as to whether he pact any less perilous for the security of Middle Eastern will lift sanctions o n Iran before it ceases its illegal uranium countries or the West. The sunset clauses that the Iranians enrichment activities in order to entice them back to the insisted upon will start expiring in just a few years, negotiating table, Biden was firm: “No,” was his reply. She meaning that by the end of the decade, Iran will be able to followed that up by asking, “They have to stop enriching openly pursue nukes with Western permission. Those uranium first?” Biden solemnly nodded in assent. clauses must be eliminated in a renegotiated agreemen t or But when asked about this the next day at the daily the United States — and its allies — will be forced to either White House press briefing, spokeswoman Jen Psaki made accept a nuclear Iran or take military action. The same it clear that when it comes to enunciating policy, the goes for the fact that the pact does nothing to restrain president isn’t the final authority in this White House. Tehran’s military adventurism or its support for When a reporter noted tha t in response to Biden’s international terror groups. statement, Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Bu t if Biden’s foreign - policy team is strong enough to enunciated that Iran will not cease its work towards a force him to walk back a sensibly tough stand so quickly, nuclear weapon or move back into compliance with the then there is little hope that he is tough enough to insist on Focus o n Israel February 13, 2021 Page 2 a renegotiation, instead of meekly accepting whatever it is and the Houthis — who unsurprisingly responded to that Iran is willing t o give the White House in order to Biden’s gesture by escalating the fighting rather than have its formal permission to proceed further down the standing d own — prevail would make the situation even road towards a goal that all recent American presidents worse. have vowed to stop. Just as important, the pressure on the Saudis is an But that wasn’t the only gift to Iran from the Biden indication the Biden is just as unconcerned about the fact administration in the last week. that their goodwill was essential to the Abraham Accords. On F riday, the State Department told Congress that, Couple that with Biden’s signal that h e will cancel arms along with other measures demonstrating the sales to the United Arab Emirates that were part of the administration’s displeasure with the Saudis, it was negotiations that led to the accords, and it’s clear that the reversing the Trump administration’s designation of administration has no real interest in expanding or even Yemen’s Houthi rebels as a terrorist group as part of an preserving Trump’s peace breakthrough. ef fort to end the war in that country. That sounds like a While Biden and Secreta ry of State Anthony Blinken noble thing to do, as it’s true that both the Saudis and their speak at times as if they care about the alliance with Israel Yemen government allies are an unsavory bunch. (though the president has still yet to speak to Prime However, the choice is not between authoritarians and Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since his inauguration), liberals, but between friendly autho ritarians and Islamist virtually every step the administration is taking undermine s terrorists like the Houthis, who are Iranian auxiliaries. The the relationship with the Jewish state. war in Yemen is a human - rights disaster, but letting Iran Mr. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS — Jewish News Syndicate . Not Being a U.S. Priority Can Benefit Israel By Lahav Harkov jpost.com February 7, 2021 Benign neglect. World in Data (though it must be considered that some In the two - and - a - half weeks since Biden’s countries do not report data reliably). It is also the leader inauguration, he hasn’t found the time to call Prime in hospitalizations with coronavirus, though that is a Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and some have made a fuss category in which most of the world does not provide about it. The problem, in this case, may be more with the data. people making the fuss than the actual lack of a phone call. For the foreseeable future, COVID - 19 will be Biden’s The previous two presidents, Barack Obama and top priority – and he said as much before entering office. Donald Trump, gave Israel an inordinate amount of After that come my riad domestic issues. attention, in different ways. Obama, intent on putting Still, as White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said “daylight” between the US and Israel, pressured Israel to recently, foreign policy is Biden’s “first love.” Biden did make concessions to the Palestinians, and then pursued a take the time to give a foreign policy speech last week – nuclear deal with Iran, partly out of concerns that Israel but he didn’t mention Israel once. He also didn’t mention would attack, which would have provided Iran with a legal the I ran nuclear threat. The only Middle Eastern issue he path to the bomb. discussed was the civil war in Yemen and related Trump was much friendlier to Israel, recognizing humanitarian crisis, making an oblique reference to Iran’s Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and facilitating the sponsorship of the Houthi rebels.