What happened
A new book titled "Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel’s War in Gaza" claims that former US President Joe Biden attempted to delay a vote against arms deals with Israel and misled Senator Bernie Sanders in the process. The book, written by journalist Akbar Shahid Ahmed, is based on nearly 175 interviews with government officials and other sources.
According to Ahmed, Biden called Sanders in an attempt to convince him to delay the vote, while also providing him with misleading information. The book also alleges that Biden's advisors, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, ignored warnings from experts and other officials in the administration, even as reports of civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza increased.
The book further claims that Sullivan downplayed the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, questioning whether Palestinians were actually starving. A spokesperson for Sullivan denied the allegation, stating that he had publicly acknowledged the suffering of people in Gaza and ordered lawyers in the administration to ensure that the US was acting in accordance with the law.
The book also alleges that Biden's special envoy to the Middle East, Brett McGurk, scolded colleagues who he believed had set a higher standard for the Israeli military than the US had set for itself in its war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. McGurk reportedly cited the number of civilians killed in the US campaign against ISIS, but his office declined to comment on the allegations.
