The United States and Israel continue to significantly disagree on how Israel should prosecute its war against Hamas in Gaza. Because of international pressure, as well as upset within his party, President Biden has commissioned the construction of a pier in Gaza through which relief supplies will be handed to Gazan civilians. How this is supposed to work and how it is that Hamas won’t immediately benefit from such an arrangement has not been adequately explained. With U.S. forces deploying on Sunday, President Biden went further and said that an Israeli offensive into the city of Rafah, in the far southwest corner of the Gaza Strip, would be a “red line” for his administration. What crossing that red line would mean for U.S. support to Israel is unknown. What we do know is that Israel isn’t going to waste its time trying to guess at the American president’s mind and will proceed until it is satisfied that something like October 7 can never again come from the Gaza Strip.
Politico reports:
When asked on Sunday whether Israeli forces would move into Rafah, Netanyahu replied: “We’ll go there. We’re not going to leave. You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is, that October 7 doesn’t happen again. Never happens again.” The PM was referring to the murderous Hamas raid that killed more than 1,160 people in Israel and triggered the war.
Without naming them, Netanyahu claimed he had the tacit support of several Arab leaders for driving ahead with the onslaught against Hamas.
“They understand that, and even agree with it quietly,” he said in an interview with Axel Springer, POLITICO’s parent company. “They understand Hamas is part of the Iranian terror axis.”
Israel will do what it feels it must. The U.S., for our part, is best served by supporting Israel with defensive munitions and diplomatic cover in the U.N. We should hold our regional partners to a reasonable, high standard regarding how they conduct warfare while recognizing that it is their fight and allowing them the space they need to resolve it as quickly and cleanly as possible. Netanyahu’s comments about the upcoming U.S. election exemplified what friendly nations and their leaders should and shouldn’t say about the other.
From Politico:
Israel’s leader was careful in his criticism of his American counterpart, and even more circumspect when asked whether he would prefer Republican candidate Donald Trump. “The last thing I want to do is enter the American political arena,” he said.
For Biden it’s becoming increasingly important not to alienate the left wing of the Democratic Party in the run-up to the U.S. election in November. At the same time, polling indicates Israel continues to enjoy widespread support among U.S. voters.