The deployment of an advanced U.S. anti-missile system and the 100 troops to operate it to Israel is a significant escalation of U.S. entanglements with Israel’s growing war, which the U.S. government is already heavily subsidizing. Show that.
But the deployment, in anticipation of Iran’s response to an expected Israeli attack on Iran, comes as the US President Joe Biden administration faces growing backlash over its unwavering support for Israel, and the legalization of US involvement. There are also questions about gender. This also means that U.S. officials are trying to project authority, threatening to finally enforce U.S. laws prohibiting military aid to countries that block humanitarian aid, as Israel regularly does in Gaza. It was held in the middle of the day.
Two recent developments—Sunday’s announcement that the United States would send troops to Israel, and a letter from U.S. officials the same day urging Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face unspecified consequences. In effect, the letter called on Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip or face unspecified consequences. It has had little real effect on curbing Israel’s growing war effort.
At a press conference on Tuesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller asked what the consequences would be if Israel did not respond to the U.S. request, or whether this would lead to an earlier decision by the Biden administration to withhold military aid to Israel. He declined to say how this differs from threats that have not materialized.
“I’m not going to talk about that today,” Miller told reporters when asked for details on how the United States would respond to Israel’s failure to comply.
threat of the sky
In a private letter leaked on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged Israeli Defense Minister Job Galan and Strategy Minister Ron Dermer to take “concrete steps” on the 30th. requested. A deadline to reverse Gaza’s deteriorating humanitarian situation. The United States suspended the delivery of thousands of bombs to Israel earlier this year as Israeli authorities planned to expand operations in southern Gaza, but quickly resumed them, leading to an escalation of attacks on Gaza and then Lebanon. However, it continued to supply arms to Israel.
“The joint letter from the secretaries of state and defense indicates a heightened level of concern, and whether the administration follows through on it or not, the not-so-subtle threat here is that they actually “The idea is to impose consequences under these different legal and policy standards,” Brian Finucane, former U.S. State Department general counsel and senior advisor for the U.S. program at the International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera.
Big doubts remained as to whether the administration would go through with it.
“It is important to note that legal standards have existed throughout the course of this conflict, but the Biden administration has not enforced them. The situation in northern Gaza is so dire that political calculations That may change and they may actually decide to finally implement the US law. But it is long past time for that to happen,” Finucane said.
Finucane also pointed out that the 30-day period expires after next month’s US presidential election. “So whatever political constraints they felt the regime was operating under, they may feel that those constraints are being reduced,” he said.
State Department Spokesman Miller told reporters on Tuesday that the election was “not a factor at all,” but Anel Sheline, a former State Department official who resigned earlier this year in protest of the administration’s Israel policy, I don’t agree.
“This is an attempt to win support from uncommitted voters and others in battleground states who have made it clear that they oppose the current administration’s unconditional support for Israel,” Sherine told Al Jazeera. I interpret it as an intention to do so.” “I don’t expect any results.”
deeper entanglement
Whether the United States follows through on its threats or not, sending troops to Israel sent a more concrete message of continued American support, no matter how dire the humanitarian situation.
The U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) is an advanced missile defense system that combines radar and interceptor missiles to stop short-range, medium-range, and medium-range ballistic missiles, giving Israel’s already exceptional anti-missile defense system It strengthens defense. is considering its response to the Iranian missile attack earlier this month. Biden said the deployment was “to protect Israel.”
The deployment announcement comes just as Iranian officials warned that the United States was “putting the lives of our soldiers at risk by deploying troops to operate American missile systems in Israel.” Ta.
“While we have made great efforts in recent days to prevent an all-out war in the region, there are no red lines that must be crossed to protect our people and national interests,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement on Sunday. I’ll say it clearly.” .
In reality, this deployment will push the United States further into war, even as U.S. officials continue to pay lip service to diplomacy.
“Rather than force de-escalation or take action to restrain Israeli officials, President Biden is deliberately moving forward with regional wars and aligning himself with Israeli leaders who are escalating their genocidal campaign against Palestinians. “We are redoubling our efforts to reassure Israeli leaders that they are in the right place,” said Brad Parker. A lawyer and deputy policy director at the Center for Constitutional Rights told Al Jazeera.
Parker and his colleagues argue that the Biden administration is relying on narrow and narrow legal arguments to justify its seemingly unilateral action under U.S. law. The United States has also already implicated itself in international humanitarian law by providing aid to Israel in violation of the laws of war.
“Up until now, the Biden administration has sought to characterize the enhancement of existing deployments and the authorization of new deployments as piecemeal or isolated incidents. But what is clear is that Congressional “It is the comprehensive and forceful introduction of U.S. forces into situations where engagement in hostilities is imminent, without authorization,” Parker said.
“A lame-duck president clings to a narrow legal interpretation that violates the clear intent of current U.S. law to justify the large-scale deployment of U.S. troops to local conflagrations that were partially the result of his own responsibility. Above all, all Americans should be outraged by this policy, which is destructive and supports genocide. ”
No parliamentary approval
Experts say deploying combat-equipped troops anywhere in the world without Congressional approval, as Mr. Biden is currently doing, would trigger a U.S. law that requires reporting to a congressional committee. It is said to be a possibility. If the troops sent take certain actions (in this case, using THAAD missiles), they have 60 days to remove them or Congress authorizes further engagements. It will be.
“In my view, this constitutes the introduction of U.S. forces into hostilities or into a situation in which the circumstances clearly indicate imminent involvement in hostilities,” said Yale Law School Global Law. said Oona Hathaway, director of the Challenge Center. he told Al Jazeera, citing federal law governing the president’s authority to involve the United States in armed conflict. “Therefore, (it) should be approved by Congress.”
But the US has remained silent on the legal implications.
“The Biden administration has deliberately avoided recognizing this law,” Finucane said. “Because, first, this law imposes a 60-day limit on hostilities. Second, if the Biden administration allows this law to go into effect and the restrictions apply. There are no attractive options. We can either shut down or ask the US Congress for authorization to go to war. And we don’t want to do either.”
This is not the first time the administration has flouted its legal obligations while embroiling the United States in foreign conflicts. For example, the United States has been fighting Yemen’s Houthi rebels since October 7 without Congressional approval.
The Biden administration has justified these military operations as “self-defense” and could try again. The U.S. Department of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.
“To date, Congress has not asked the administration to explain how exactly Iran’s bombardment of Israel undermines U.S. national security,” said Sherine, a former State Department official. “Biden may be expecting Iran to attack and Congress to be eager to declare war.”
