In the aftermath of the heinous October 7th, 2023 Hamas attacks that slaughtered innocent Israeli civilians, Israel has responded decisively, targeting the upper and middle leadership echelons and infrastructure of Hamas and Hezbollah. Yet, instead of standing firmly with our ally, the Biden-Harris administration has repeatedly undercut Israel’s efforts, calling for ceasefires at critical moments and demonstrating a profound misunderstanding of Israel’s strategic goals.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who now hypocritically takes a victory lap after the well-deserved death of Yahya Sinwar in Rafah, claimed that Sinwar’s death marks an “opportunity to end the war in Gaza.” She spoke as if her administration had been cheering for this outcome all along when they were attempting to thwart Israel at every step. Harris’s ignorance of the Hamas/Hezbollah war is baffling. Previously, she asserted that she “studied the maps” and expressed concern over where the people of Gaza could go during an Israeli invasion of Rafah. The question Harris should ask is: Where could Israel’s civilians go when Hamas indiscriminately targeted them?
Her naïve belief that Sinwar’s death opens the door to peace displays a woeful ignorance of history. Any “peace” now would only be temporary, allowing Hamas and Hezbollah time to regroup, rearm, and replenish their leadership. These terrorist organizations have made their goals abundantly clear: the annihilation of Israel “from the river to the sea.” Simply put, they will never surrender or peacefully coexist with the Jewish state.
President Biden, too, has displayed alarming ignorance and arrogance. After Israel launched a targeted strike against Iran following the Hamas attacks, Biden admonished Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call, telling him to “take the win” and “do nothing.” But Israel, a nation built on the resolve to secure its survival, was not interested in Biden’s weak advice. Netanyahu responded, “We have to go into Rafah,” to which Biden absurdly replied, “You’ve got no strategy.”
No strategy? Israel’s strategy is abundantly clear: the complete destruction of the terrorist organizations that imperil its existence. It is Biden’s administration that lacks a strategy for victory—both in this war and in its broader foreign policy. Perhaps the legacy media, borrowing a page from their attacks on President Trump, should ask Biden and Harris the critical question: Do you want Israel to win its war against the existential threat it faces?
It is not just the substance of Biden’s comments that is troubling—it’s his tone. During a conversation with Senator Michael Bennet after his State of the Union address, Biden, caught on a hot mic, declared that he needed to have a “come to Jesus” meeting with Netanyahu. Setting aside the inappropriateness of such a phrase in reference to the Jewish leader of Israel, this remark highlights the American left’s deep disdain for Netanyahu—a democratically elected leader of one of our closest allies. The bravado in Biden’s statement reveals a profound disconnect between the administration’s view of Israel’s leadership and the strategic reality on the ground.
Biden’s disdain for Netanyahu has been evident throughout his presidency. According to Bob Woodward, Biden once referred to Netanyahu as a “bad f***ing guy” and questioned Israel’s approach in a private conversation with his advisers. One must wonder how such a vulgar display of contempt for an ally aids America’s standing in the world or helps our own security?
The Biden-Harris administration’s blind calls for ceasefires—at a moment when Israel is systematically destroying the leadership of its mortal enemies—are dangerous and misguided. True peace is achieved through strength, not weakness. Israel understands this. Netanyahu understands this. Yet, Biden and Harris seem willfully ignorant of this fundamental truth. Their foreign policy is riddled with appeasement and indecision, as seen in their handling of Israel, Iran, and Afghanistan. Each of these failures compounds the next, leaving our allies unsure and our enemies emboldened.
It is no coincidence that this issue is arising in an election year, and in a place like Michigan, where Harris’s political base is particularly divided on the question of support for Israel. Her campaign stop at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she acknowledged Sinwar’s death as an “opportunity to end the war,” underscores the Biden-Harris administration’s broader agenda of seeking a ceasefire, even as Israel pushes forward with its efforts to dismantle Hamas and Hezbollah. This exposes the administration’s cynical use of foreign policy to placate domestic political factions.
Ultimately, Israel’s survival is not a political football. It is a moral imperative. Forcing a ceasefire now, when Israel is on the verge of eradicating a terrorist organization responsible for the mass slaughter of its civilians, is not just naïve—it is dangerously irresponsible.
The Biden-Harris administration needs to come to terms with reality: peace will only be achieved when Hamas and Hezbollah are dismantled. The true path to peace requires resolve and strength, not appeasement. And if Biden and Harris cannot comprehend this simple truth, perhaps the American people should question whether they are fit to lead on the global stage at all.
Charlton Allen is the founder and editor-in-chief of The American Salient and the founder of the Madison Center for Law & Liberty, Inc. Learn more about him at charltonallen.org.
