Biden Announces Risky Trip to Israel
President Joe Biden has announced plans to visit Israel on Wednesday, raising concerns over the potential risks of a presidential trip during wartime. The visit, which has been described as fraught with risk, would serve as a show of support for top US ally Israel, while also sending a warning to other countries in the region.
Biden’s decision comes after being invited by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he has had a relationship spanning four decades. Despite the ongoing conflict and danger in the region, Biden has expressed a strong interest in making the trip.
The president is coming to reaffirm America's solidarity with Israel and "our ironclad commitment to its security," Blinken said. He will also reiterate that Israel "has the right, and indeed, the duty to defend its people from Hamas and other terrorists and to prevent future attacks." (ABC NEWS)
The potential risks of a presidential visit to Israel cannot be ignored. Just yesterday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was forced to take shelter in a bunker with Netanyahu as air sirens blared in Tel Aviv. This highlights the volatile and unpredictable situation on the ground, with missiles being exchanged between Lebanon and Israel and Israelis living in fear of Hamas-fired missiles.
However, proponents of the trip argue that it would grant Biden fresh leverage to influence events and bolster his image at home. It would also allow him to privately discuss concerns and potential red lines with Netanyahu regarding Israel's planned ground invasion of Gaza.
But others, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and members of Congress, are planning similar visits to Israel this week. Some experts warn that presidential visits are usually tightly choreographed, while wars are unpredictable by nature.
"Presidential visits try to be tightly choreographed and wars are never tightly choreographed," said Jon Alterman, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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