Israel’s Army radio reported that Joe Biden had told IDF generals privately that they would have to just get used to the idea of a nuclear Iran. Biden and Obama deny this vehemently, and the report is not substantiated, but it fits with Biden’s current statements on Iran. It also fits with his support of Carter’s Iranian policy back in 1979. However, Biden is also widely known as a Zionist and strong ally of Israel. What does that mean for Joseph Biden and Israel? As Biden has been the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for years, it should not be hard to track his stands relating to Israel.
In the following excerpt he strongly supports the “peace process” started by the Oslo Accords, the two state solution, support of Abu Mazen’s soldiers, etc. He is close with the Council on Foreign Relations, not an Israel friendly organization. However, let Senator Biden speak for himself.
Excerpt from Sen. Joseph Biden’s talk at the Israel Policy Forum, Dec. 4, 2006
…Second, Im concerned by reports suggesting that the Iraq Study Group will link a renewed effort to advance the Arab-Israeli peace process with a solution in Iraq. I am not opposed to a vigorous peace process quite to the contrary, as I will explain in a moment. But the notion that an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement would end a civil war in Iraq defies common sense. Israeli-Palestinian peace should be pursued aggressively on its own merits, period. Not as some sort of diplomatic price to make the Arab states feel good so they will help us in Iraq. I hope that both of these news stories are incorrect, because I truly hope that the Baker-Hamilton report will garner bipartisan support. Regardless of what it says, right after the New Year, I will focus the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Iraq, in close collaboration with my Republican counterpart, Senator Richard Lugar. We will hold intensive and extensive hearings, over many weeks.
We wont be wedded to any one plan or proposal. Instead, our mission will be as straightforward as it is vital: to shine a light on what options remain for America to start bringing our troops home from Iraq without trading a dictator for chaos. Thats a goal that unites the vast majority of Americans. I would like to conclude with some brief thoughts on the two goals that we share and believe are inseparably woven together the well-being of Israel and the need for a peace settlement.
I am going to say something which may strike some cynics as fanciful. Despite all the difficulties of the past year from the Hamas victory to the war with Hezbollah over the summer, which incidentally Israel did not lose I believe that we may be arriving at a moment where a renewed peace process is possible.
Why do I say this? For two reasons: First, Israel has in place a government and a prime minister that understands that the status quo is unacceptable. Unilateralism is off the table. And indefinite occupation threatens Israels Jewish majority.
Last week, Prime Minister Olmert made a bold speech and extended Israels hand to her Palestinian neighbors, offering to make real and painful concessions on territory and settlements. I commend him for making this gesture at a moment when some might advise him that caution would be better politically.
Second, the Arab states may finally be waking up to the dangerous strategic shifts in the region. To put it simply, the Arabs are terrified of Iran. Not, alas, because of Ahmadinejads outrageous anti-Semitic statements and Holocaust denial. But because they are terrified of the role Iran is playing in Iraq, terrified of its support for Hezbollah and Hamas, and terrified of its nuclear program. They see that the stagnation in the region working to the advantage of Iran and its extremist allies. They see their very legitimacy now being challenged by these forces. This may finally spur them into action. As Samuel Johnson famously observed, nothing focuses the mind like a hanging.
The Arabs may finally be willing to take some of the risks they have steadfastly avoided in the past. One manifestation of this is their new found interest in supporting the Palestinian security forces under Abu Mazen. This is welcome. But I challenge them to do more if you mean what you say in the Beirut Declaration that you are prepared to live in peace with Israel, then please show it. Meet with Israelis. Go to Israel as Sadat did. Take some risks. Otherwise, you may miss yet another opportunity.
Ladies and gentlemen. I have been around for too long to believe that opportunity automatically translates into progress. Nothing will happen without American leadership. Nothing. Under President Clinton, we had a whole team that worked 24/7 on the peace process — often it was the President himself. I cant think of anyone in the current Administration who is solely dedicated to the peace process. And I cant fathom how our current President has not found the time to visit Israel in the past 6 years. Yes, we face time-consuming challenges in Iraq, Iran, North Korea, and Afghanistan. But we are the sole superpower. We are Israels closest friend. We have an obligation to lead for the sake of peace. Thank you
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