The US Needs to Get Out of the Middle East—Soon
BloombergFeb 13
Gaza Food Aid Ship Departs Cyprus After Delays
Image copyright: Ahmad Hasaballah/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
A ship carrying almost 200 tons of food aid for Palestinians in Gaza departed from Cyprus on Tuesday after a multi-day delay. The mission, largely funded by the UAE, will likely take around two days to reach Gaza due to the weight of the vessel's cargo.
US-based charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) founder Jose Andres said its Chief Executive Officer, who helped organize the initiative, said in a statement that the project's goal was "to establish a maritime highway" of food to address increasing concerns of mass famine in Gaza.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The war in Gaza has made one thing certain — the US needs to stop meddling in Middle Eastern affairs. Though hawkish pundits often stoke fears of Iranian aggression, the reality is Iran is a fledgling regional power that presents little threat to US interests in the region or the globe. Likewise, Israel, which enjoys immense military and diplomatic support from the US, has been accused of genocide in its war in Gaza, yet US leaders have reflexively jumped to shield Israel from valid criticism. The US must pressure Israel to end this war, thus taking an off-ramp from the dangerous escalation ladder that has been climbed since Oct. 7, and finally end its presence in the region once the situation has calmed.
Pro-establishment narrative
Though there are plenty of reasons to be critical of US foreign policy in the Middle East over the decades, it's undeniable that it is both in the US' and the region's interest that the US maintains a military presence there, as it ensures the continued security of a critical area in the global economy. Indeed, the US' Gaza policy has had mixed results, as Netanyahu is clearly going too far. However, US pressure has managed to scale back the rate of civilian casualties and reel in Netanyahu's more cruel impulses. If the US cedes the Middle East to its adversaries, namely Iran, violence will only get worse and the US will find itself dealing with even more catastrophic problems.
Pro-Israel narrative
Israel will always be thankful for the US' steadfast support, but the Biden admin. needs to refrain from tying Israel's hands behind its back. Hamas is simply not interested in negotiating in good faith and has consistently shown its preference for violence. In contrast, Israel has done everything it can to ensure the safety of civilians in a war it did not want, even going so far as to put its own soldiers at risk just to preserve this principle. Israel will pursue its goals, which are incredibly popular with its citizens, regardless of whether it annoys Washington or anyone else.
Pro-Palestine narrative
The Biden admin., increasingly anxious over the upcoming election, has resorted to cheap tactics to deny its support for Israel's brutal war on Gaza. Regardless of the spin, Biden has armed Israel, given it diplomatic cover, and refused to call for a permanent cease-fire — all of which incentivizes continued bloodshed. Palestinians are literally starving to death, and Biden would rather discuss ill-conceived plans for new aid delivery mechanisms like building a port instead of taking concrete action to deter Israel's criminal behavior — which would be unsustainable without US support.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that Israel will lift the blockade on electricity, food, gasoline, and medicine in Gaza by June 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
