Biden Gives Israel a Pass on West Bank Violence – SpyTalk (Jonathan Broder)
“By coincidence, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf was on an official visit to Israel last week when the violence erupted, leading to hopeful speculation among some Middle East watchers that her talks would focus on ways to tamp down the mounting communal violence. But Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, said the West Bank was not on the agenda. ‘The clear priority and objectives of the Biden administration when it comes to Israel these days is to find things to rally around in agreement and support.’ Friedman told SpyTalk. ‘So it’s about reassuring Israel on Iran; it’s about working on getting Israel into the U.S. Visa Waiver program; it’s about doubling down on the Abraham Accords and seeking a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.'”