The White House has taken a fairly strong stand in its support of Israel since the start of the Hamas war, so it is particularly loathsome that it has not done the same with the onslaught of dissent from within the bureaucracy. The Agency for International Development, the State Department, and nearly 40 other agencies with more than 1500 staff members and political appointees have written letters and memos critical of Biden’s position.
Of course, civil servants have the right to say what they want, but the White House also has a duty to respond — especially when the protests are with regard to current policy and the vast majority of dissenters are anonymous. Instead, it was milquetoast and extolled “listening” to the complainants as well encouraging “feedback and ideas.”
What the White House should have done was rebuke the letter writers for their ignorant views. The utter lack of a firm response is a prime example of the cause of antisemitism today. These idiotic and counterfactual views are allowed to go unrebutted, not only among the government but also (as shown particularly in recent weeks) rampantly on college campuses as well. Such timidness encourages many students and others in the academic community to think that maybe there is some substance to what these ignorant antisemitic protestors say. No one is calling for speech to be stifled, but what needs to happen is a pushback. In other words, “you can say what you think, but know that you are actually incorrect because of x, y, and z.” That is how you actually stop antisemitism instead of aiding and abetting it!
Instead we get “organizing forums” and “candid conversations” which just result in more of the same: counterfactual information continuing to be shared — under the guise of tolerance, mind you — without any correction whatsoever. This is unacceptable and it further undermines the US position on Israel. If the White House is unwilling to defend Israel internally to a bunch of unelected bureaucrats with no policy power, what assurances do we have that it will continue to stand strong with Israel among those who actually do craft policy across the world?