Don't call it a Biden-Bibi split

Sent to the Hartford Courant March 17, 2024:

To the Editor:

Like many others, Andreas Kluth uses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a convenient whipping boy in his misguided article "Red lines delineate Biden-Bibi split." The Israeli prime minister does not determine war policy, unlike the way President Biden does here as commander-in-chief, 

There is a war cabinet which determines that policy, with three members - Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (whom Netanyahu tried to fire a year ago), and Benny Gantz (leader of the center-left National Unity Camp) - who decide by majority vote.

In the aftermath of the October 7 Massacre, President Biden correctly said Hamas must be destroyed. The alternative is much worse than what's now happening. It is also beyond reasonable dispute that Hamas cannot be destroyed unless Israel roots it out of Rafah and takes control of the Philadelphi Corridor.

Israelis, who will be the first to suffer the consequences if this is not done, know this and are impatient with the war cabinet, including Netanyahu, for being so cautious about entering Rafah. A leader of the National Unity Camp, Gideon Sa'ar is now demanding a seat in the war cabinet to push for a stronger effort.

Kluth's criticism of Israel is also unjustified because it has successfully kept the ratio of non-combatant to combatant deaths to a small fraction of the norm for modern urban warfare, far less than it was when we fought in Iraq. We should encourage Israel to do what's necessary, root Hamas out of Rafah and create the possibility for a safer and better future.

Sincerely,

Alan Stein

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