CNN's Beinart Absurdly Blames Israeli Blockade of Gaza for War

On Thursday's New Day on CNN, the show displayed its willingness to put on 

CNN

New Day

May 20, 2021

7:27 a.m. Eastern

BRIANN KEILAR: So what needs to happen during a pause that we seem to be expecting?

PETER BEINART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: So one thing that I think is really important for people to understand is what it's like for the people in Gaza. The U.N. said a couple of years ago hat Gaza was unlivable for human beings. -- unlivable for human beings -- very little water, very little electricity. This blockade that has made it really virtually impossible for Palestinians to have normal, decent lives -- unless you do something about that fundamental lack of freedom that is producing this deep, deep misery in Gaza, people -- you're going to have continued conflict.

We know in our own country from our own history that unless there's basic freedom and dignity for people, it's likely going to be a recipe for violence. And those underlying issues -- so far, there's very little evidence either from the U.S. or the Israeli government of an appetite to address those.

KEILAR: President Biden had been pressuring Benjamin Netanyahu to take action here. Do you think that that pressure -- which it seems like Netanyahu really just swatted away -- seemed to rebuff it -- do you think that has helped at all in getting what seems to be a pause coming our way?

BEINART: No, because the U.S. really hasn't imposed pressure. I mean, the U.S. has enormous leverage over Israel. We give Israel $3.8 billion in virtually unconditional aid -- military aid -- every year. We protect Israel at the U.N. and other international institutions from any international condemnation. We have a lot of leverage over Israel. And yet the Biden administration has not been willing to use any of it. To the contrary, he has very specifically said we will never condition military aid no matter what Israel does. So when you make a statement like that, you essentially throw away your potential to actually significantly influence Israeli behavior.

KEILAR: And progressives, to that point, have been trying to stop a $735 million U.S. weapon sale to Israel. They are unlikely to be successful for the reasons you laid out there. Are they having any success in this pressure campaign?

BEINART: I think they've laid down a marker for what will be a shift inside the Democratic party. It's worth remembering that, you know, during the -- from the 1950s to the 1970s to 1980 -- even people like Ronald Reagan regularly conditioned American military aid to Israel on changes to Israeli behavior when they thought that Israeli behavior was violating, you know, American values or American interests. The progressive wing of the Democratic party is pushing this issue back to the fore, and I think it will eventually become a mainstream Democratic position that U.S. money should not be used, for instance, to demolish Palestinian homes or imprison Palestinian children -- that's just not consistent with the principles that progressive Democrats believe in.

KEILAR: Peter Beinart, thank you so much for joining us this morning.