Just four months after the 46th president of the United States was sworn in, and following a series of impressive legislative achievements and success in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, we learned again last week that nothing good lasts forever. To be sure, Joe Biden is not immune to low points, particularly in the context of his country's relations with Israel.
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Specifically, the quick about-face in his stance toward Operation Guardian of the Walls, culminating in his phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Wednesday in which he demanded a significant and immediate de-escalation, proved that the president was and still is, at his core, a politician and not a statesman. His desire to maintain the support of key target audiences domestically and abroad trumped his willingness to spearhead a strong and uncompromising position against Hamas' belligerence and grant his Israeli ally continuous support in light of the challenge it was facing.
Indeed, the room to maneuver and act, which the American president gave Israel was far more limited compared to the "green light" the White House gave its Israeli partner during several previous rounds of fighting with Hamas, and began shrinking quickly after just one week. This, despite the fact that the IDF, in contrast to bombardments conducted by the American military on numerous fields of battle over the decades (in Vietnam; in both Iraq wars; in Bosnia and Serbia; and in Afghanistan), has taken unprecedented precautions to avoid or mitigate to the greatest possible degree any harm to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
The question that must be asked, then, is what led the president to diverge from his original course in favor of Israel, to push it to hold fire post-haste?
On the domestic front, Biden's U-turn reflected the White House's desire to preserve unity within the ranks of the Democratic party, particularly in Congress. Hence, unlike previous rounds, this time around the party's liberal and ultra-liberal factions' contrarian stance quickly began affecting the party's mainstream factions and Biden rushed to fall in line with the majority (instead of using his presidential credit to expand the base of support for Israel).
What's already clear is that despite the president's initial intentions, he found himself – similar to many of his predecessors – quickly sucked into the violent dynamic created by Hamas, forcing him to enter the lion's den earlier than he had planned. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's upcoming visit to the region is the first indication that this administration realizes it must contend with the complexities of this conflict, far earlier than expected.
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