The President's Daily Brief - November 6th, 2023: Democrats Divided, Hezbollah's Caution, & Ukraine's Quiet Talks

Episode Date: November 6, 2023

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: A stark rift forms in the Democratic party over the Gaza conflict, with accusations of genocide creating political shockwaves. Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah makes a statement on the Israel-Hamas conflict, eschewing calls for escalation to the relief of some and the dismay of others. With the possibility of Hamas's destruction in Gaza, we examine the prospects of the Palestinian Authority filling the power vacuum post-conflict. Behind closed doors: New reports surface on discreet talks between Western powers and Ukraine, discussing the potential frameworks for peace with Russia. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. Email: [e-mail]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Monday, November 6th, the day before another election day in the United States. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. In today's PDB, as war rages on in Gaza, a deep divide opens within the Democrat Party, with some going as far as to accuse President Biden of supporting genocide. Later in the program, Hezbollah chief, Hassan Nasrallah finally speaks out, disappointing some supporters, and those would be the supporters

keen to open a second front on Israel. And the Palestinian Authority may be preparing to step into the vacuum left by a diminished or exterminated Hamas. And finally, in the back of the brief, a new report suggests Western officials have begun quietly talking to the Ukrainian government about possible peace negotiations with Russia. But first up, the PDB spotlight. As the conflict in Gaza continued over this weekend, streets around the world were choked with pro-Palestinian demonstrators. From Washington, D.C. to Michigan, and from Milan to Paris,

tens of thousands marched, demanding an end to the bombardment of Gaza and calling for an immediate ceasefire. Things got especially intense outside the White House on Saturday evening, with demonstrators vandalizing the gates of the White House with red paint and attempting to scale the fence. Antisemitic messages were spray-painted on nearby buildings, and the police reported a single arrest during the march. Yes, one arrest. Now, while the message was unequivocally pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel, it pointedly targeted President Biden. Chance of, quote, genocide Joe reportedly rang out during the demonstrations. The sentiment fueling these protests is

one of betrayal. Many demonstrators are sending a clear warning to the president. His stance could lead to repercussions in the next election cycle. And the sentiment isn't confined to the protests. It signals a growing rift within the Democratic Party. It's even being echoed by some of Biden's allies in Congress. Democrat Representative Rashida Thlebe of Michigan, well, she didn't mince words, accusing the president of backing what she termed, quote, genocide against the Palestinian people. Her message to voters remember this in 2024. Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama weighed in as well, and he didn't exactly do any favors for his former VP. During a recent podcast appearance, the former president equivocated on the conflict, saying, quote,

what Hamas did was horrific and there's no justification for it. And what is also true, he said, is that the occupation and what's happening to Palestinians is unbearable, end quote. Now, in case you're wondering, that would be a classic case study in speaking out of both sides of your mouth. The problem with not taking a clear stand, though, one way or the other, of trying to placate everyone with the political game of what-aboutism is that, really, at the end of the day, you don't please anyone. The ripples of this division extend now to the vice president's family,

with stepdaughter Ella Emhoff actively fundraising for Gaza relief efforts. Oh, and by the way, if you're inclined to give money to a Palestinian or Gaza relief fund, well, do your own due diligence, right? Make sure you understand where that money is going to. Hamas controls the Gaza strip. And if you imagine that Hamas, in some benign form of governance, distributes the funds and resources to the residents of Gaza instead of to, well, themselves, ask yourself before writing that check, how over the past almost 20 years has Hamas improved measurably the lives of the Gaza residents. Now, even at this early stage, the political fallout, well, it's not merely theoretical. It's already having a tangible impact, especially among Arab American voters, and that's a key

voting block for Biden's reelection efforts, especially in a swing state like Michigan. Once solidly supportive of Biden, their backing has plummeted, according to a recent national poll. Only 17% now say they'll vote for him in the next election, and that is a drastic fall from the 59% who supported him in 2020. Now, the tens of thousands of protesters taking to the streets over the past week and weekend, well, they argue that they're not anti-Semitic bigots. They're just anti-the-Israeli government's actions in response to Hamas's slaughter and continued rocket attacks on Israel. And for some, that's true. But, frankly, a significant portion are simply anti-Semites. Now, stepping back in time, perhaps you recall the hard left's attitude in the U.S. during those

mostly peaceful summer BLM and Antifa riots following George Floyd's wrongful death. You might recall that anyone who criticized the riots and violent protests were readily dismissed by the left as racists. That was, and continues to be the left's go-to weapon. But somehow, the Israel-Hamas conflict is different, they would have you believe. Of course, they're not anti-Semites. They just carry banners calling for the end of Israel, saying, by any means necessary, or from the river to the sea. And they've engaged in impressive mental gymnastics to cloak Hamas in the righteous cover of freedom fighters rather than what they are, which is a terrorist tool of Iran built to assist in the extermination of Israel. Regardless, the White House is now learning a hard truth

about the braying mob. As Winston Churchill once said about Hitler to his wartime cabinet, you cannot negotiate with the tiger when your head is in its mouth. The Biden administration has catered to the progressive left throughout its term, but the mob is never satisfied, and eventually nobody is righteous enough for the mob. Now, I for one, hope that Biden's calculation is that foreign policy, U.S. national security should not be based on domestic political calculations, because, for the most part, the braying mob is ill-informed, prejudice, self-absorbed, and uninterested and facts and truth. They're governed by their feelings and the desire to be seen as more righteous than you. All right. Coming up after the break, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah leaves supporters hanging

with his latest remarks on Hezbollah's stance against Israel. And in the West Bank, a crucial dialogue unfolds between Anthony Blinken and Mahmoud Abbas about Gaza's future leadership. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the PDB. While the IDF's campaign continues in southern Israel, thousands of Israeli soldiers are also stationed in the nation's north in order to fend off a potential attack from Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militia controlled and funded by Iran. As you know, Hezbollah began conducting daily attacks

against Israeli military outposts on the border between Israel and Lebanon shortly after the war broke out. according to officials, at least 57 Hezbollah fighters and 10 Israelis have been killed in the attacks. Hezbollah's goal in the conflict, well, those goals are still unclear. And all eyes have been on the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, for clarity on their next move. Well, Nazra-las finally spoke out on Friday, and let's just say he left a lot of his most hardcore followers, very disappointed, especially those who had anticipated a rallying cry to broaden the fight alongside Hamas. Nazrullah took a more cautious tone, indicating that while the conflict with Israel has a

potential to explode into a larger war, it has not reached that point. His remarks left the door open for future actions, stating, quote, all the options are open and we might choose them. Adding to the complexity, Nazrullah revealed that the October seventh operation conducted by Hamas was not, he said, a coordinated effort within the, quote, axis of resistance, which includes Hezbollah and Iran. He clarified that the attack was solely a Palestinian initiative stating, quote, this attack was 100% Palestinian and had nothing to do with regional issues. Ah, of course. Now, far be it from me to impugn Nasrullah's character, or the veracity of his statements.

Actually, never mind. That's exactly what I'm doing. The bottom line is that meetings took place in Beirut, between Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iranian liaison, leading up to the 7 October murderous rampage. And confirmed intelligence shows that hundreds of Hamas fighters were being trained and advised by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, in Iran, in September, again, leading up to the 7 October attacks.

Look, Iran controls both Hamas and Husbalah. They are tools of the Iranian regime and the IRGC. So did Nasrallah know that Hamas would be carrying out its slaughter of Israeli men, women, children, and babies on 7 October? Well, as the old saying goes, does a bear crap in the woods? And for those of you not familiar with bears, the answer is yes. All right. Now, I want to return to a subject that we spoke about.

about in-depth last week, and that is the question of what happens in a post-Hamas Gaza. I focused mostly on the peacekeeping scenarios likely to develop in the aftermath of the war. But there's another important element to that question, and that is the political leadership that will inevitably need to fill the vacuum left by either a significantly degraded Hamas or fully stamped out Hamas. Today, we're getting a better idea of who's ready to step into that gap. On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, sat down with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the city of Ramallah in the West Bank. On the agenda was the issue of ensuring ongoing humanitarian support to Gaza. However, reports indicate their talks

broadened to include sketching out a post-conflict scenario for the territory. And Abbas reportedly indicated that he and the Palestinian Authority are prepared to assume political control of Gaza once this is all over. Now, to understand what this means, you need to understand the split between Gaza and the West Bank. In the 1993 Oslo Accords, Israel agreed to grant limited self-rule to Palestinians, leading to the creation of the Palestinian Authority, or PA, to govern the West Bank in Gaza. The PA, led by the Fatah Party, supports a two-state state. solution through negotiation. However, in 2006, Hamas won the Gaza elections. Now, calling them free and fair elections might be a stretch, but they came out on the winning side. Regardless,

that led to an outbreak of violence, and by 2007, Hamas had ousted the PA from Gaza completely. That led to the two separate administrations that we see today, the PA and the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza. President Abbas emphasized to Secretary Blinken that the Palestinian authorities return to governing Gaza depends not only on an end to the conflict, but also on a comprehensive political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Abbas said, quote, we will fully assume our responsibilities within the framework of a comprehensive political solution that includes all the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the obvious roadblock here is Hamas. They spend most of the funding and aid that makes its way to the Gaza Strip on Hamas, not on improving the lives of the residents of Gaza.

And they will not be inclined to give up their position in Gaza, as that guarantees continued funding from Iran. If they lose their local authority, they risk losing the benevolence of their puppet masters Iran. While protesters in Michigan, D.C., Milan, and elsewhere, may imagine Hamas to be freedom fighters only interested in the well-being of Palestinians. In fact, they are a self-serving organization out for the betterment of the Hamas leadership structure. Greed, after all, is a human trait not limited to any particular religion. Coming up in the back of the brief, Last week's revelation from Ukraine's top general about the deadlock with Russia shook global perceptions about the war on Ukraine.

Today, a new report suggests he's not the only one who holds that sentiment. I'll be right back. Welcome back. In today's back of the brief, we've got something of a follow-up to a story we covered last week. If you'll remember, Ukraine's top general, Valerie Zilluzni, gave a very candid assessment of the situation on the ground. saying that Russian and Ukrainian forces have essentially reached a deadlock across the front.

He said, quote, just like in the First World War, we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate. There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough, end quote. Well, according to a new NBC news report, Zillusioni might not be the only one to have come to that conclusion. Now, not to sound prescient, but previously on the PDB, we've made. mentioned that any talk of a stalemate in the ongoing war would lead to pressure from Western allies to seek a negotiated settlement. The NBC report suggests that U.S. and European officials have now begun discussions with Ukraine about what peace talks with Russia could involve. The dialogue, which is still in its early stages, is said to include the idea that Ukraine might have to

give up some territory in exchange for peace. According to the report, One of the primary concerns of Western nations is growing manpower issues for Ukraine. One Biden administration official was quoted as saying that the U.S. and his allies can provide Ukraine with weaponry, but, quote, if Ukraine doesn't have competent forces to use them, it doesn't do a lot of good, end quote. On the other side of that equation, Russia's capacity to throw men into combat appears almost inexhaustible. Well, frankly, that's something that all parties should have understood simply by studying World War II. Now, for his part, Ukrainian President Zelensky remains firm. During a press conference in Kiev on Sunday, Zelensky insisted the war has not reached a stalemate

and told reporters that the nation's partners are not trying to push Ukraine into premature negotiations or territorial concessions. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for months. Monday, 6 November. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.