US aid to Israel unconditional under Biden presidency: Top aide

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the 11th Democratic candidates debate of the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign, held in CNN's Washington studios without an audience because of the global coronavirus pandemic, in Washington, U.S., March 15, 2020. (REUTERS)

• ‘Biden is going to have a hard time winning the support of Arabs and Muslims this coming November’

LONDON: US aid to Israel will be unconditional under a Joe Biden presidency, a senior aide to the former vice president’s election campaign has said.
In a briefing with the Democratic Majority for Israel, Tony Blinken extolled Biden’s pro-Israel credentials and the Democratic nominee’s commitment to the bilateral partnership.
“He wouldn’t tie military assistance to Israel to any political decisions that it makes. Period. Full stop,” said Blinken. “He said it. He’s committed to it. And that would be the policy of the Biden administration.”
Biden’s former Democratic rival Bernie Sanders had proposed leveraging aid to Israel as a means to pressure it to end its abuses against the Palestinians.
Blinken said a Biden administration would also push back against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and re-engage with the UN to prevent criticism of Israel.
But Blinken said Biden opposes Israel’s annexation plans and supports a two-state solution, adding: “Any unilateral action by either side that makes what is already a very difficult prospect even more difficult is something he opposes. Annexation is exactly that kind of unilateral action.”
Blinken’s comments come at a time when the Israeli government is planning to annex large parts of occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank — a move widely rejected by the international community.
Abed Ayoub, legal director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said Biden’s position on the conflict means “he’s going to have a hard time winning the support of Arabs and Muslims this coming November. That should worry his campaign, especially in states where we have a large concentration.”