President Joe Biden declared a “national emergency” on Thursday that once again prioritizes the concerns of foreign entities over American interests.
Rather than deal with the emergency unfolding at our border with Mexico, Biden issued an executive order aimed at punishing four Israeli settlers who have allegedly been attacking Palestinians and Israeli peace activists in the occupied West Bank.
Their actions, the president declared, “undermine the foreign policy objectives of the United States, including the viability of a two-state solution and ensuring Israelis and Palestinians can attain equal measures of security, prosperity, and freedom.”
I signed an Executive Order allowing the U.S. to issue sanctions against those who direct or participate in acts of violence against civilians in the West Bank, including extremist settlers.
Today’s action seeks to promote security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 1, 2024
Furthermore, they “undermine the security of Israel and have the potential to lead to broader regional destabilization across the Middle East, threatening United States personnel and interests.”
“For these reasons, these actions constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” the executive order states.
The penalties put forth “aim to block the four from using the U.S. financial system and bar American citizens from dealing with them,” the Associated Press reports. “U.S. officials said they were evaluating whether to punish others involved in attacks that have intensified during the Israel-Hamas war.”
According to House majority whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the order represents “the worst betrayal of our strongest ally in the Middle East.”
“As Joe Biden signals that the clock on his support for Israel is running out—a White House endorsement of a two-state solution would be the worst betrayal of our strongest ally in the Middle East, a reversal on decades-long U.S. policy, and a reward to Hamas terrorists who committed the most barbaric attacks against the Jewish community since the Holocaust,” Emmer told the Washington Free Beacon. “I will personally use every ounce of leverage at my disposal to ensure the Biden administration does not go through with this absurd idea.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the president’s move “shameful.”
“A Palestinian state would not only be an enclave for global terrorism and an existential threat to Israel, it would legitimize the aims of the attack on October 7, effectively rewarding Hamas,” he told the Free Beacon. “It’s clear the Biden administration simply wants to appease the pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party. It’s shameful this is even a topic of discussion.”
The E.O. makes no mention of the Americans who are still being held hostage in Gaza — a fact that didn’t go unnoticed on social media.
Any punishment for the animals who still have Americans held hostage?
No
Weird
Why’s that? https://t.co/36VBVHy92T
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) February 1, 2024
Many on X see the executive order as nothing more than an attempt by Biden to appease potential pro-Palestinian voters ahead of the November elections.
According to Politico, “Biden has faced intense pressure to appear more even-handed in the conflict as Hamas-controlled agencies have reported more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military campaign against the militant group.”
“This is what political desperation looks like,” remarked one user. “The flailing for false moral equivalency to stop Michigan from slipping away.”
This is what political desperation looks like. The flailing for false moral equivalency to stop Michigan from slipping away. https://t.co/nIehCoVuk1
— Josh Offenhartz (@Johartz) February 1, 2024
If Biden can clamp down on participants in another nation’s war, surely he can do something about the U.S. border, despite his claims to the contrary, according to X users.
Can’t do anything to secure the border without Congress
Can go after Israeli settlers with an executive order https://t.co/HD3WTr1qcD
— Chris Averill (@ChrisAverillMT) February 1, 2024
Use the same pen to sign a EO closing the border!!
— Carrie Hartwig (@CarrieMyHart) February 2, 2024
Close the border, dipshit
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) February 1, 2024
“West Bank cheered while innocent men, women, children, and even infants were kidnapped, tortured, raped, and murdered by Hamas,” wrote one angry user. “Jackass.”
West Bank cheered while innocent men, women, children, and even infants were kidnapped, tortured, raped, and murdered by Hamas.
Jackass.
— TheFOO (@PolitiBunny) February 1, 2024
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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