Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax on Monday that the Biden administration's decision to withhold sensitive intelligence on Hamas from Israel shows its priorities have shifted in resolving the conflict in the Middle East.
The White House, Holt said, now is focused more on how its response will shape voter support for Biden's reelection bid than on helping Israel.
"This just proves, tragically so, that the administration is covered up in academics who not only don't understand foreign policy, they don't understand the relationships at every layer of an alliance," Holt said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "So this is what they've done: By dangling this tease that if Israel will only curb themselves and come to heel, that they'll get more information about where thugs like [Hamas leader in Gaza] Yahya Sinwar reside in Rafah, and it cascades right down through the ranks.
"So, now every single Israeli general officer, major, lieutenant is going to look at their counterpart on the United States side and say, Really? You're my ally and you're holding back information from me that you knew the entire time because your government just said so. We're in an existential fight for our lives, and you guys in the Oval Office think this is some kind of game because you're playing not a two-state solution; you're playing for a three-state solution called Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin."
The Washington Post reported that the Biden administration will not share key intelligence with Israel about the whereabouts of Hamas' leadership in Gaza unless Israel agrees to call off its military operation in Rafah.
Four people familiar with the matter told the outlet that the administration is "offering Israel valuable assistance if it holds back, including sensitive intelligence to help the Israeli military pinpoint the location of Hamas leaders and find the group's hidden tunnels."
The U.S. is trying to delay the operation over concerns that Israel is not doing enough to ensure the safety of the more than 1 million Gazans who are sheltering in Rafah amid the ongoing war, the Post's sources said.
As anti-Israel protests roil college campuses nationwide, the conflict in Gaza has been a flashpoint for many young voters, with some polls showing support collapsing for Biden.
A Harvard poll from last month showed support for Biden among voters ages 18-29 has dropped from about 60% in 2020 to 45%.
Elise Joshi, executive director of Gen-Z for Change, said that Biden "will lose the election if he decides to roll the dice and assumes that Gaza isn't at the top of minds" for young voters.
Holt called the White House's behavior toward Israel "despicable."
"This is not how allies treat each other," he said.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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