On the heels of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, President Biden gave a speech addressing surging anti-Semitism around the world in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks: “just seven and a half months later, and people are already forgetting. They’re already forgetting that Hamas unleashed this terror, that it was Hamas that brutalised Israelis, that it was Hamas who took and continues to hold hostages. I have not forgotten, nor have you, and we will not forget.”

That statement was a nod to the “Never Again” proclamation that became famous after the Holocaust and its tragic connection to the events of just seven months ago. On October 7, the world saw the most devastating slaughter of Jews in one day since the Holocaust, and “Never Again’’ took on fresh relevance.

Which is why it’s so disturbing that just a day later, Americans heard Biden say: “We’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells.” That red line Biden applied pertains to an Israeli ground operation in Rafah, a city in the south of the Gaza strip where three Hamas battalions and the majority of the Israeli hostages are believed to be holed up. After months of attempting diplomatic means to free the hostages, including half a dozen American citizens, negotiations reached an impasse and the Israel Defence Force (IDF) began a limited ground operation in eastern Rafah.

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A Rafah invasion is the most significant leverage the IDF holds in its multi-prong efforts to free Israeli hostages being held by the murderous regime. By threatening Israel for continuing its military campaign during a defensive war, Biden isn’t just endangering Israel during a war for survival, but endangering American citizens being held in Gaza by Hamas.

Jewish Insider reported that the move elicited “quick criticism from Israel-backing Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, and from mainstream Jewish and pro-Israel organisations across the country.” Jewish Insider spoke with Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) moments after the Biden interview. The Representative was dumbfounded by the Biden’s administration’s decision to stall the delivery of guided munitions and guided munition kits, known as JDAMs: “How in the hell do you criticise Israel for being imprecise in its bombing and then refuse to deliver them what they’re willing to pay for to make the bombs precise?” Sherman said. “I mean, my God.”

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The Biden administration’s decision is inexplicable: it doesn’t just endanger the lives of Israeli civilians and soldiers, not just hostages from dozens of nations, including the United States, but it endangers the lives of Palestinians in Gaza. The President of the United States hasn’t just abandoned Israel, he has also abandoned basic common sense.