The division in American support for Israel has become increasingly clear

While the United States usually stands firmly behind Israel, there now appear to be some fine cracks in that apparently close relationship. Not only does US President Joe Biden call on Israel to respect the regime, but US National Security Council Chairman John Kirby also urged more than once to stop deliveries of relief supplies for humanitarian reasons.

Despite US criticism of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza, which has now begun, BNR’s foreign commentator, Bernard Hammelburg, does not want to hear about the subtle cracks in the relationship. on the contrary. “It seems to be business as usual with these types of cases,” he says. There have been three previous wars. The Americans support the Israelis for several reasons, but primarily because there is a special security treaty between the United States and Israel.

This treaty means that the United States fully supports Israel in its efforts to eliminate Hamas, although there will come a time when the United States says: “And now it is over,” according to Hammelburg. “And then you’ll see it actually happen,” Hammelborg says. He added: “Then Biden calls Egyptian President Sisi, and then Sisi can broker a ceasefire. He is great at that, as he has proven many times before.

Love is cold

However, US correspondent Jan Postma encounters less unconditional support for Israel than he does in the political heartland of the United States. It is noteworthy that there is a shift among some Americans. “Here in Washington, D.C., there are some protests every week, all of them now focused on the conflict in Israel,” Postma says. I have noticed many differences within the American Jewish community. (…). For example, there is a right-wing group that is pro-Netanyahu, but there is also a more left-wing Jewish youth organization that wants to end the genocide in Gaza. They are against Netanyahu and the current policies.”

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Postma believes the demonstration has many similarities to Palestinian demonstrations, as the same signs are used. “When I talked to a boy about this, he said, ‘Yes, that’s true. Some things are true, no matter who you are and where you come from.” Clearly, there are significant differences within the American Jewish community.