THE United States and Israel have signed a joint strategic declaration, repeating accusations against Iran and promising to confront that country’s nuclear programme, a few days after US President Joe Biden threatened Tehran with a military attack.
In a statement called the Jerusalem US-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration, signed by US President Biden and caretaker Israeli prime minister Lapid on Thursday – Washington promised to continue supporting Israel’s military capabilities in the region, while also making threats against Iran.
Washington’s ‘commitment’ is to ‘never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon’, while making use of ‘all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome.’
The new declaration comes as Biden said he would be willing to use force to counter Iran’s nuclear programme as a ‘last resort.’
His comments, broadcast on Wednesday, came in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, taped before he left Washington. Asked about using military force against Iran, Biden said, ‘If that was the last resort, yes.’
Biden has used every opportunity to back the Israeli regime. Israeli caretaker PM Yair Lapid has lauded the US president as a ‘great Zionist’ and one ‘of the best friends Israel has ever known.’
‘You once defined yourself as a Zionist. You said that you don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist, and you were right. And in your case, a great Zionist,’ Lapid said.
Observers correctly believe that the unconditional support of the US for Israel, as the only regime that openly threatens Iran with military aggression, can only further embolden the Zionists.
In 2015, Iran signed a nuclear agreement – called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – with six world powers to reassure the world of the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme. However, the deal was scrapped by former US president Donald Trump in favour of a ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against the Islamic Republic.
Although praised as a positive step and a great diplomatic achievement by much of the international community, the JCPOA was attacked in particular by Israel, despite the fact that the Israeli regime is continuing its secret nuclear programme without UN nuclear watchdog’s inspections.
Iran has reduced commitments under the JCPOA as a response to the violation of the agreement by the American side, noting that all its remedial measures, which are taken with pre-announcements, are reversible as soon as the illegal sanctions against the country are removed.
The new US-Israel declaration has been signed as Biden is making his first visit to the West Asian region. Earlier reports indicated that one of Biden’s agendas on this trip is to create a military alliance between the Israeli regime and a number of Arab states, to counter what they called Iranian threats.
Yesterday, Biden was in Palestine and announced a commitment of $100 million to Palestinian hospitals in the occupied city of East Jerusalem.
During his trip to Israel and the occupied territories, Biden visited US-funded missile interception systems including the so-called Iron Dome and Iron Beam.
At a press conference in Bethlehem he shocked the Palestinians by telling them that he had ‘never given up on peace even if the groundwork is not right at this moment to restart negotiations.’
He is trying to take the Palestinians for a ride to nowhere, prevent the foundation of a Palestinian state, while making preparations for a war of annihilation against Iran.
Biden commented on Palestinian-Israeli relations: ‘We are working to bring both sides together. There must be a political horizon for Palestinians to see. We cannot wait for all of the issues to be resolved. We must demonstrate that things can be better.’
For the US and Israel the future of the Palestinians is to be occupation, more occupation and yet more occupation, combined with murderous attacks on the Palestinian fighters for independence. Biden is insulting the Palestinians by trying to buy them with a few hundred million dollars. He will not succeed.
The Palestinian people will not give up their land, they will advance alongside the Iranian, Syrian and Lebanese masses to drive the imperialists out of the Middle East, so that their vast oil wealth can be used to liberate the people of the region and not to propel the imperialist war machine.
The British, US and EU working classes must take action to support the Palestinians and not allow them to be treated with contempt by President Biden.
The US-UK and EU trade unions must immediately impose an all-out blockade of Israel until Israel quits the occupied territories and the State of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital is established.