I am fearful that the Biden - Begin exchange might typify US - Israel relations going forward

Submitted by Mehul Kamdar (United States), Dec 1, 2020 at 18:16

Thank you, Dr Pipes for your views. I am wondering if it might be practical to be pessimistic (with the silver lining that the worst never happens, though one is never wrong in being prepared for it) about US - Israeli relations under Joe Biden, especially in the light of his exchange with Menachem Begin which has been much talked about in recent weeks. We do have a Democratic Party, after all, where the blatantly anti-Semitic "Squad" wields both influence and a loud megaphone gifted to it by its vast body of supporters. Biden's threat as a Senator to cut off aid to Israel with the "I am not a Jew with trembling knees" response from Begin will likely go down in history as an exchange to remember, but the more immediate worry would be about a vastly more powerful Biden who, as President, might threaten Israel more vigorously than he could as a Senator, because his prejudices and pressures from his party colleagues compel him to.

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