The perennially precarious humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas has ended. Israel kept killing Palestinian civilians even throughout the ceasefire, but at a reduced rate than prior to the commencement of the hostage negotiations with Hamas. The Israeli government ended the pause, citing a missile assault by Hamas. Since the bombardment resumed, over 700 Palestinian civilians have died, bringing the total number of deaths to almost 15,000, the vast majority of whom have been civilians.
Biden Administration’s approach to Netanyahu
The high number of civilian deaths highlights the core policy contradiction that has plagued the Biden administration since the beginning of the conflict: how to balance the administration’s declared goal of minimizing civilian deaths with its actual commitment to providing Israel with unwavering support.
To the cacophony of public criticisms the Biden administration has been making of Israel’s handling of civilians in the ongoing conflict, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin added his voice. “I have personally pushed Israeli leaders to avoid civilian casualties, to shun reckless rhetoric, and to prevent violence by settlers in the West Bank,” Lloyd said to the gathering. Leading congressional progressive Democrat and Biden campaign backer claimed that Joe Biden has made a “strategic mistake” by “bear-hugging” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while he pursues war with Hamas.
Criticisms and backlash
Ro Khanna added, “The bear-hugging of Netanyahu has been a strategic mistake,” charging the Israeli leader of fighting “a callous war” in Gaza against the will of the US. One Decision guest presenter Liz Landers questioned Khanna over a recent visit to Michigan where she spoke with representatives of the state’s sizable Arab American community. “What information did they give you regarding the Biden administration’s approach to Israel?” Landers enquired. Khanna stated, “I’ve been a longtime supporter of the US-Israel relationship. They were opposed.” After serving in Congress for eight years, my record shows that I vehemently denounced the horrific attack, rapes, and killings carried out by Hamas on October 7.
I have referred to Hamas as a terrorist organization, which they undoubtedly are. Although they carried out a terrorist attack on October 7, their bear-hugging of Netanyahu was a calculated miscalculation. In opposition to the US, Netanyahu has waged an apathetic war. “For the first six weeks of the ceasefire, I did not support it. I had assumed that would go after those accountable. However, they began attacking hospitals and refugee centers, disobeying American policy, and preventing relief from entering.
Alienation of Palestinian interests
Khanna stated that in the event that Israel does not alter its course, Biden must lay out clear consequences for Netanyahu.”I’m for Israel, but I’m against this extreme right-wing government,” he must declare. This implies that “there will be no more weapons transfers… unconditionally” if Netanyahu “defies the United States by refusing to allow aid or by entering Rafah,” as Netanyahu has threatened to do. Biden has stated that this cannot and will not happen. Austin’s criticism of Israel was appropriate given his role as the cabinet member in charge of the Pentagon. It concentrated not only on the fact that Israel’s military policy is fundamentally inconsistent, but also on the fact that it has violated international law by murdering people without cause. “The civilian population is the center of gravity in this kind of fight,” Austin observed. Furthermore, if you force them to turn against you, a tactical win is replaced with a strategic loss.
Potential setback in US-Iran relations
Austin’s admonition is serious and persuasive, but it fails to acknowledge that the Biden administration’s treatment of Israel is just as confusing as Israel’s policies. In an attempt to control and direct Israel’s response, Biden has adopted a tactic known as the “bear hug” with Benjamin Netanyahu after the October 7 Hamas killing. The tactic is best summarized by Stephen Wertheim, a senior scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s American Statecraft Program, “Biden apparently figured that bear-hugging America’s ally was the surest way to restrain it or the only way he was willing to try.” The public condemnation of Israel’s disrespect for civilian life has increased in tandem with the bear embrace; earlier, these criticisms had only been made in private.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated at a press conference in Tel Aviv that “I underscored the imperative of the United States that the massive loss of civilian life and displacement of the scale that we saw in Northern Gaza not be repeated in the South.” This was just hours before the humanitarian pause was lifted.
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The New York Center for Foreign Policy Affairs (NYCFPA) is a policy, research, and educational organization headquartered in New York State with an office in Washington D.C. NYCFPA is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, institution devoted to conducting in-depth research and analysis on every aspect of American foreign policy and its impact around the world. The organization is funded by individual donors. The organization receives no corporate or government donations.