Biden's approach to the Middle East should be realistic, pragmatic

We know that Haines and Blinken will have critical views of Israel’s settlement policy, and Israel will need to tread carefully not to anger the administration or get off on the wrong foot.

By JPOST EDITORIAL
U.S. President Joe Biden gives a speech after being sworn in as the 46th U.S. President in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2021. (photo credit: SAUL LOEB/POOL VIA REUTERS)
U.S. President Joe Biden gives a speech after being sworn in as the 46th U.S. President in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2021.
(photo credit: SAUL LOEB/POOL VIA REUTERS)
The choices that US President Joe Biden has made to lead his foreign policy team show that he is tapping pragmatic and competent advisers.
Biden and all his close advisers have a generally positive view of Israel and its place in the region, a vitally important and essential element for the US-Israel alliance that is expected to continue during the Biden administration.
This was on display in the confirmation hearings for senior Biden officials Antony Blinken and Avril Haines. Haines, the pick for director of National Intelligence, received overwhelming support, and was confirmed by the Senate on Biden’s first day in office. She is the first woman to lead the US intelligence community.
Blinken is one of Biden’s closest advisers, and has been a key part of the US foreign policy establishment for many years. He was widely believed to be a choice for a senior position had Hilary Clinton won in 2016. Now he will serve as the new president’s secretary of state, helping to craft and carve out policy in the Middle East.
During his confirmation hearings, it became apparent that Blinken holds many views that fall in line with some of the policies under the Trump administration that were good for Israel. He praised the Abraham Accords and the recent wave of normalization agreements with Arab countries, and said that the US Embassy should remain in Jerusalem. This means the new administration will likely stick by Israel in international forums such as the United Nations.
Blinken also rejected the boycott calls against Israel and the extreme anti-Israel BDS movement that has tried to reshape discussions on Israel over the last decade. Those who know Blinken all praise him and his views of Israel and the Middle East.
Israel Ambassador to the United Nations and new Ambassador to the US Gilad Erdan expressed confidence on Thursday that Biden will remain a close friend of Israel. “I think we can expect years of expanding cooperation to even more areas beyond the existing ones,” Erdan told Kan Bet. “I think there is a strong basis for optimism.”
Not everything will be perfect, of course. We know that Haines and Blinken will have critical views of Israel’s settlement policy, and Israel will need to tread carefully not to anger the administration or get off on the wrong foot.
In addition, the Biden administration is expected to shift course on Saudi Arabia and be more critical of the ongoing war in Yemen. The US deal to sell F-35s and drones to the United Arab Emirates may come in for tough regulation under Biden. That means a key element of the comprehensive peace deal between the UAE and Israel, brokered by the Trump Administration, could face some hurdles.
What matters however is that on the big issues regarding Israel-US relations, the Biden administration appears to want to build on some aspects of what Trump put in place. Moreover, it appears to have the intention to build on the close defense relationships with Israel that is part of the multi-billion dollar annual support Israel receives from the US.
This is important because Israel has delivered two Iron Dome batteries to the US, and is seeking to procure more F-35s, helicopters, as well as refueling aircraft. There is talk of greater research and development cooperation with Washington, on top of the defense relationships that already exist.
Israel conducted an unprecedented air defense test last month, and the US is likely seeking to learn from and watch closely how the programs it has supported in Israel are handling emerging threats, particularly from Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.
All this means is that Blinken, Haines and other senior Biden officials will see Israel as a key relationship in US foreign policy.
We urge the Biden administration to keep up the realistic approach that Blinken and Haines articulated during their confirmation hearings, and to support the work that has already been done to extend stability in the region and among its different allies.
That means working with Israel – not against it – when it comes to the threat from Iran. From what we see so far, the new administration seems to get it.


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Anthony Blinken