Progressive lawmakers and advocacy groups are sharply criticizing the Biden administration for its decision this week to deploy additional troops to the Middle East as Israel is carrying out a major escalation of its attacks on Lebanon.
Outspoken advocates for Palestinian rights, including Representatives Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) and Cori Bush (D-Missouri), have said that bolstering the U.S.’s military presence in the region will only worsen an already catastrophic situation created by Israeli forces over the past year — and could increase the already strong threat of a regional war.
The lawmakers pointed out that only an arms embargo to Israel — as has been ordered by international and domestic law — can result in the de-escalation of tensions that the Biden administration has claimed that it supports.
“The Biden-Harris administration continues to allow Netanyahu and the Israeli government to operate with impunity as they carry out war crimes. After facing no red line in Gaza, in an attempt to remain in power, Netanyahu is now expanding his genocidal campaign to Lebanon, using the same tactics the Biden-Harris administration has endorsed,” Tlaib said in a fiery statement on Wednesday.
“Deploying more U.S. troops and sending more U.S. bombs will only lead to more suffering and carnage,” she said. “The Biden-Harris administration is capable of stopping the bloodshed. President Biden must implement an immediate arms embargo to end the slaughter and de-escalate the risk of a wider regional war.”
“A ceasefire and arms embargo are urgently needed to end the violence and save lives,” Bush said on social media. “By failing on both fronts and sending additional troops to the Middle East, the Biden Administration is further fueling more death and destruction. Our communities do not want more endless wars.”
As Israel was in the midst of dropping hundreds of bombs on civilian centers in Lebanon, killing over 550 people on Monday, the Pentagon announced that it is sending additional troops to the Middle East. Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said the U.S. is sending a “small number” of troops “out of an abundance of caution.” The U.S. already has roughly 40,000 troops in the region.
Ryder acknowledged that tensions are high and that the U.S. is bolstering its military presence in the region in order to back Israel as it carries out attacks. The U.S. “continues to work with … Israel to support their defense,” Ryder said.
President Joe Biden and his administration officials have said that they are working on de-escalation and do not support a wider war in the region. But, in reality, they have been working to lay the groundwork for Israel’s escalation — vilifying Hezbollah and Lebanese civilians in remarks, providing Israel with billions of dollars’ worth of military support and, now, even sending American troops in case a war does break out.
In fact, advocates have said that the Biden administration’s refusal to use its leverage to stop Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza has granted Israel the diplomatic and military license it needs to use its genocidal tactics on a new region.
“War between Hezbollah and Israel could kill tens of thousands and trigger a humanitarian crisis. It may even drag the U.S. directly into the fighting,” wrote the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. “The Biden administration’s failure to use its leverage to avert this escalation may have catastrophic consequences.”
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