It’s a bold move at a difficult time — a show of solidarity that could backfire in many directions, both within a dangerous region and at home.
For President Joe Biden, a hastily planned but meticulously planned visit to Israel on Wednesday, in the wake of a Hamas terror attack earlier this month, is an opportunity to show support for America’s closest ally in the Middle East. It is also a potential opportunity to influence Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he plans steps that could shake up regional politics for years to come.
Biden also risks underscoring political divisions on Israel that are sharpest within his own Democratic Party, particularly over how the Netanyahu administration deals with the Palestinians, the West Bank and Gaza. The momentum that could give Biden leverage at a dangerous time could also leave some of the fallout at his feet, a year before he’s up for re-election.
Beyond the obvious security risks — the Secret Service issued an unusual statement broadly describing the “incredibly complex” planning surrounding the president’s moves to Israel — the timing of Biden’s visit is complicated by significant uncertainties.
About 10 days after Hamas’s inscrutable attack on Israelis, the fate of more than 200 hostages held by the militants hangs in the balance. As Israel continues to hold off an expected ground offensive on Gaza, the Palestinian territories controlled by Hamas, explosions at a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday reportedly left hundreds dead in what could be just a taste of the humanitarian toll to come. .
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas signaled that he was canceling a planned meeting with Biden, and soon after, the White House said that Biden was postponing his entire trip to Jordan, where he would have held talks with Abbas, but “would remain regular and directly. engaged’ to both him, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
A Democratic member of Congress who has been a harsh critic of Israel, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who is also the first Palestinian American elected to the House, went so far as to suggest in a post on X that Biden was partly responsible for bombing her in the hospital, branding the president and calling it “your war…approach.”
“We’ll remember where you stood,” Tlaib posted.
It’s a sentiment echoed by Republican presidential candidates, albeit from a different — seemingly more staunchly pro-Israel — direction. Many believe that Biden’s stance on Iran encouraged the Hamas attack, given Iran’s role as a major sponsor of the group, with Sen. Tim Scott, RSC, arguing that Biden has “blood on his hands” for showing ” weakness”. which endangered the Israelis.
That view seems less widespread in Israel, which is one reason Netanyahu may welcome the US president this week. Biden’s initial response to the attacks drew some bipartisan praise for his moral clarity.
“We have to be clear: We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel,” Biden said last week. “And we will make sure that Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, to defend itself and to respond to this attack.”
America is also pretty united behind Israel for now, at least to the extent that any issue can unite the nation in 2023. An ABC News/Ipsos poll that was in the field in the days after Hamas struck Israel found the 49% of Americans say the US has done the right amount to support Israel, with another 29% saying the country has done too little. Fewer than one in five said Israel received too much support.
At the same time, 54% of Americans said they disapproved of Biden’s initial handling of the conflict, with 62% disapproving of Iran’s handling. Those numbers are consistent with the president’s downbeat perceptions on a range of domestic and foreign policy issues covered in the poll.
The president’s public comment hints at the difficulties they face. Biden was stern in his warnings against Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group in northern Israel, and Iran potentially seeking to exploit the situation in Israel — “don’t, don’t, don’t,” he told “60 Minutes” — – while at the same time saying it would be a “big mistake” for Israel to seek to reoccupy Gaza.
For better or worse, Biden’s time in office has come to be defined by major international crises. The chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan coincided with a plunge its acceptance rates which has not yet returned.
Meanwhile, his support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion — including a secret trip he made to Kiev last winter — is considered by his team to be a high point. It has featured prominently in early campaign messages.
Biden will arrive on Israeli soil changed by the horrors of recent weeks, and Biden has spoken publicly of his deep understanding of the nation’s troubled history. Israel, as always, needs American support, although what that means will be complicated by realities both in the Middle East and in the United States.