Biden has said that he will give ‘ironclad’ support to Israel. This is a response to a possible Iranian retaliation for the bombing of its consular building in Syria.
His statement exposes the hypocrisy and double-speak that Western leaders engage in. Over the past few weeks, the US and the EU have been forced to change their rhetoric and demand that Israel supports a ceasefire in Gaza. This is purely the result of mass pressure and revulsion against the genocide that we witness nightly on our televisions.
But despite the rhetoric, nothing really changes. The US and the EU give full support to Israel. This could not be clearer as Biden has just promised ‘ironclad support to Israel.
In effect, he is saying that Israel can murder people in Gaza with impunity and threaten a regional war by launching attacks in neighbouring countries. No matter what it does, the US will supply over €3 billion of weaponry to it each year, including the bunker-buster bombs that destroy Palestinians’ homes.
If Simon Harris had a modicum of honesty behind his PR speak, he would immediately condemn Biden’s statement as a threat to world peace.
He should of course go further and close Shannon airport to US troops so that Irish neutrality is restored as a proper anti-colonial value. In just one day in April, 1,000 US troops came through Shannon airport. It is now being used as a staging post for US military adventures. We need to close it before it drags us into a new World War.
