Former senior Barack Obama administration officials criticised former US president Joe Biden’s Gaza policies on a foreign policy podcast on Thursday, sparking reactions on social media. Ben Rhodes and Tommy Vietor, both former senior Obama administration officials, co-host the foreign policy podcast, Pod Save the World.
According to a video from the podcast shared by the Drop Site News, Rhodes, who served as deputy national security advisor, says: “Israel doesn’t want to end the war … if they were willing to end the war, they would get the hostages out. The idea that they need to continue to fight the war against Hamas in Gaza - I’m sorry, there’s no security need to do it. You’re just talking about an already traumatized people, including a lot of injured people, who are being bombed in tents with no food and medicine.”
Vietor, former national security council spokesperson, then says: “What a total fucking disgrace the Biden administration’s policy on Gaza was… Loyalty to Netanyahu blinded him to the carnage, the total immorality of the policy, and US complicity in that policy.”
The excerpts from the podcast have created interest on social media this week, with many people saying that these former US administration officials speak only when it is “too late”.
Many on social media reacted to the excerpts from the podcast with anger, saying that thousands of people have been talking about the atrocities done by Israel and “the real reasons why Israel does not want to end the war”.
Social media users also pointed out the hypocrisy of these former US administration officials who have always “sided with the Zionists” but are now speaking up.
In early January, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to continue Israel's war on Gaza, in part as a bid to stop far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from exiting his coalition. Netanyahu also faces the wrath of the electorate and pending corruption cases against him once the war in Gaza is over.
Israel also allegedly unilaterally violated the Gaza ceasefire in February after refusing to proceed to the second phase, which would have secured the release of all remaining captives. Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected offers from Hamas for their release.
Many have argued that if the Netanyahu government had genuinely prioritized bringing the hostages home, a deal could have been reached long ago. But that would mean ending the war, without which Netanyahu’s coalition would collapse.
The ceasefire in Gaza has effectively collapsed as it transitions from one phase focused on the release of Israeli captives, which is politically palatable in Israel, to the messier question of who will govern the Gaza Strip.
An investigative report aired by Israel’s Channel 13 has alleged that the Biden administration knowingly permitted Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to persist well beyond any defined strategic objective. According to the report, senior US officials privately acknowledged the offensive had devolved into “killing and destroying for the sake of killing and destroying”.
The investigation also claims the US was complicit in political interference, diplomatic obfuscation, and the derailment of peace efforts. Drop Site News shared the translations of the findings on social media.
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