Photo Credit: Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz
The draft 2024 Democratic Party platform is now available online, and will be endorsed by the DNC convention in Chicago next month – with or without President Joe Biden at the helm. Chapter 9 of the 80-page document is named, “Strengthening American Leadership Worldwide,” and it includes a segment on the Middle East and North Africa, with a special section titled: “Response to the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and Next Steps to a Lasting Peace for Israelis and Palestinians.”
Here goes, I bolded the lines that made me cringe and wish it was November 5 so I could vote for Trump:
President Biden and Vice President Harris believe a strong, secure, and democratic Israel is vital to the interests of the United States. Their commitment to Israel’s security, its qualitative military edge, its right to defend itself, and the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding is ironclad. President Biden and Vice President Harris recognize the worth of every innocent life, whether Israeli or Palestinian.
President Biden and Vice President Harris have unequivocally denounced Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel on October 7, condemned the gruesome violence – including conflict-related sexual violence – demonstrated by Hamas and made clear that the United States wants to see Hamas defeated.
President Biden traveled to Israel – the first U.S. president to do so at a time of war – in the days after October 7 to demonstrate that the United States stands with Israel in its quest for peace and security. He has also defended Israel at the U.N. against one-sided efforts to condemn Israel. The Administration worked with Congressional leaders to pass a historic aid package worth $14 billion to help Israel defend itself and to provide more than $1 billion for additional humanitarian aid to Gaza.
President Biden has also been determined to broker an immediate and lasting ceasefire deal that once finalized secures the return of all hostages, including the remaining Americans held in Gaza; addresses the immense civilian pain and extreme suffering being caused by the conflict, including the displacement and death of so many innocent people in Gaza; results in a durable end to the war in Gaza; and sets the stage for a lasting regional peace. The President has made clear to the world the importance of this ceasefire and he and his team are working at the highest levels to finalize this deal.
President Biden has also worked tirelessly – including through the appointment of a senior civilian coordinator for humanitarian relief – to surge and ensure the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people. Many vulnerable civilians are suffering deadly consequences of the Israel-Hamas war. Residents of Gaza have been displaced, and food insecurity has been severe. The Administration has worked relentlessly to deliver food, medicine, and other aid to the people of Gaza and to set the conditions for the reconstruction of communities in Gaza that have been devastated by the war.
As President Biden has made clear, a ceasefire deal will lead to a more secure Israel and unlock the possibility of greater regional integration and historic normalization with its Arab neighbors. It will allow Israelis to safely return to their homes without fear of being attacked. A deal will also allow for Arab nations and the international community to help rebuild Gaza in a manner that does not allow Hamas to re-arm. It will allow the United States to work with partners to rebuild homes, schools, and hospitals in Gaza and repair destroyed communities. It would create the conditions for a better future for the Palestinian people, one of self-determination, dignity, security, and freedom, and ultimately a state of their own — a contrast to Trump, who refuses to endorse the political aspirations of the Palestinian people.
President Biden and Vice President Harris oppose any unilateral steps by either side — including annexation — that undermine prospects for two states. We will continue to stand against incitement and terror. The Administration opposes settlement expansion. President Biden has spoken out against extremist settler violence, and in February, the President issued an executive order establishing U.S. authority to impose financial sanctions against foreign persons engaged in actions that threaten the peace, security, or stability of the West Bank. The Administration believes that while Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations, it should remain the capital of Israel, an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths. We support critical assistance to the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza, consistent with U.S. law. The Administration opposes any effort to unfairly single out and delegitimize Israel, including at the United Nations or through the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement, while protecting the Constitutional right of our citizens to free speech.
The Lebanese people deserve to live in an independent and sovereign Lebanon that is free from the grip of Iran-backed Hezbollah, and a corruption-free, competent, reform-minded government focused on addressing the needs of its people. In this regard, the Administration is also committed to facilitating a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border that would ensure the return of both Israeli and Lebanese families to their homes.
Advertisement
