A Wink and a Nod
How the Hebrew expression "ha-mevin yavin" explains President Biden's support of Israel
If I took the news at face value, I would be fretting about growing tensions between the US and Israel. The media are abuzz with stories of divides, frustrations, and misunderstandings between the two allies. This week, US Vice President Harris purportedly widened the gap by calling for an “immediate” rather than a “temporary” ceasefire, a word choice the media decontextualized and inflated. Also this week, the Biden administration floated a media trial balloon to test public opinion of barring US weapons from being used in Israel’s planned offensive in the southern Gazan city of Rafah.
While the Biden administration’s criticism of and threats against Israel have been escalating, they can largely be chalked up to political pressure and reelection woes. Members of Congress and campaign staffers have been pushing the President to condition American support of the war, and polls show plunging support for the President among Arab Americans (from 59% in 2020, down to 17% after October 7). Meanwhile, those “uncommitted” votes, though negligible on Super Tuesday, could portend challenges ahead, especially in swing states.
The real question is whether the Biden administration will match its fighting words with deeds. Until now, it categorically has not. Since October 7, President Biden’s support of Israel has been steadfast and unmitigated: he increased the US’s $105 billion military aid package by $14 billion, approved and delivered on more than 100 additional arms sales, sent warships and military aircraft to the region, vetoed UN resolutions calling for premature ceasefires, and helped negotiate a hostage deal.
The criticism that has gradually crept into the administration’s rhetoric has, until now, been delivered with “a wink and a nod.” Fully aware that the outcome of this war is critical for Israel and all the Western world, but having to play high-stakes realpolitik, President Biden has called for but not demanded a ceasefire, criticized but not renounced the Netanyahu government. Until recently, in obviously coordinated joint press conferences with Prime Minister Netanyahu, US Secretary of State Blinken has played the good cop to Bibi’s bad, all the while supporting him unconditionally.
Perhaps the best way to characterize the Biden administration’s tightrope walk is with the Hebrew expression המבין יבין - ha-mevin yavin - literally, “He who understands will understand,” or colloquially, “I’m not going to say any more; either you get it or you don’t.” The expression was originally used 1,000 years ago by rabbis who did not want to fully explain their reasoning, or did not wish to be explicit about delicate or esoteric matters. Jotting ha-mevin yavin onto their commentaries was a way of suggesting that readers figure things out for themselves. Like “a wink and a nod,” which comes from “a wink is as good as a nod to a blind horse,” it implies that a subtle message’s intended recipient better be watching or listening carefully if he or she wants to get it.
With all it has said and done until now, and all it has not, the Biden administration has been signaling ha-mevin yavin—that if you pay attention, you will understand that the administration is overwhelmingly supportive of Israel, despite occasional, necessary statements and appearances to the contrary. If you haven’t caught on to it yet, look closely and quickly. If I’m not mistaken, Blinken is still winkin’ and Biden is still noddin’, though they may not be for much longer.