By Armin Sijamić
The war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has lasted for seventy days. The brutal response of Benjamin Netanyahu's government to Hamas's attack on October 7 and the "indiscriminate bombing," as described by US President Joseph Biden, jeopardizes Israel's position, as well as the status of the current president and his foreign policy.
It was clear two months ago, when news began to emerge that children and civilians were the biggest victims of the Israeli army's attacks, that Netanyahu would jeopardize the positions of Israel and the West worldwide. Even then, cracks in Western unity were visible, as it was impossible to prove that the Israeli government's legitimate response was proportional, or that it was solely directed at Hamas.
Discontent spread throughout the Middle East, and although Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried to prevent the conflict from spreading beyond the Gaza Strip, even threatening the use of force, he left the Palestinians in an unequal fight against Israel, which is armed by the US and several European governments.
Thanks to social media, Israel began to lose the media war. Footage from the Gaza Strip, seen by people around the world, overshadowed all the "explanations" from major Western media outlets about what was happening in the besieged enclave, and the issue of forming two states was once again brought back into public discourse.
Protests spread beyond the Middle East, leading some countries to break off relations with Israel, and many criticized Biden for being responsible for the suffering of Palestinians. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a NATO ally, also stated this, telling Biden yesterday that he has a "historic responsibility" to stop the war.
Ultimately, even Biden relented and said what many others around the world had already said.
A Warning from a Sincere Zionist
At the beginning of the week, Biden hosted a Hanukkah event at the White House and gave a ten-minute speech. He reiterated to the attendees his long-standing admission of being a Zionist, his support for Israel, that the United States stands behind the Jewish state, and his commitment to the Jewish community that suffered greatly during World War II.
Biden spoke on several topics, but perhaps the most important part for the global public related to current events in Israel and Palestine. Biden first referred to his decades-long acquaintance with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, whom he "loved" then and "loves" now. "But," Biden added, "you know, it's a tough place. It's a tough place. We continue to provide military assistance to Israel until they get rid of Hamas. But we have to be careful. They have to be careful. World public opinion can change overnight. We cannot let that happen."
This warning from the US president is an unusual admission that things are heading in an undesirable direction for Israel and the US. Biden could feel this at home as well, where many, including the Muslim community, are calling not to vote for him in next year's elections. Some polls have shown that his likely rival, Donald Trump, is leading in almost all key states for victory.
In an address to his campaign donors this week, Biden was even more direct. "Israel's security can rest on the United States, but right now it has more than the United States. It has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world," Biden said in Washington. "But they are starting to lose that support due to the indiscriminate bombing that is happening."
Biden stated that there is also disagreement with the Israeli government on what to do with the Gaza Strip once the war with Hamas ends. Americans have repeatedly said that the Gaza Strip must be governed by Palestinians and that progress must be made towards establishing a Palestinian state. "This is the most conservative government in Israel's history," Biden said, adding that Netanyahu must "change" his government. "This government in Israel makes it very difficult for him. They do not want a two-state solution," he added.
At the beginning of the month, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned that Israel risked replacing a "tactical victory with a strategic defeat" if it did not protect civilians in Gaza, and that in urban warfare, such as is currently being waged there, "victory can only be achieved by protecting civilians," stating that he had learned this lesson in Iraq while fighting ISIS.
Netanyahu's Resistance
Netanyahu did not pay much attention to Washington's earlier warnings to protect civilians while fighting Hamas. In just a couple of weeks of war, Netanyahu buried Biden's policy, which reached its peak at the beginning of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, when Washington managed to unite Western countries and stand behind Kyiv.
The response to the latest warnings was similar. Netanyahu said that Israel received "full support" from the US for the ground war, the destruction of Hamas, and the return of hostages, adding that Washington had blocked "international pressure to stop the war."
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen stated mid-week that his country would continue the war in Gaza "with or without international support" and that a "ceasefire at this stage would be a gift to the terrorist organization Hamas and would allow it to return and threaten the residents of Israel."
This is not the first time Biden and Netanyahu have been on opposite sides, as the latter pursues policies closer to the American Republicans. Therefore, every time the American Democrats put pressure on Netanyahu, he would turn to their Republican rivals, a significant portion of whom offer unconditional support for everything Israel does, partly for religious reasons.
At the end of October, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, stated that one of his priorities was to help Israel. Thus, Johnson, along with the Republicans who have a majority in the House, has become Netanyahu's protector, even at the cost of conflict with Biden, whom he blames for the enormous aid the United States is sending to Ukraine, which is an additional tool for pressuring the White House.
Biden Needs a Strategy, Netanyahu Seeks Victory
US officials are involved in the war. American delegations (diplomatic, military, and intelligence) are working across the Middle East to end the conflict. However, little is known to the public, and little appears to be a serious plan. Simply put, US officials do not know what to do with the disobedient Netanyahu, who makes American positions in the Middle East and elsewhere more difficult each day.
On the other hand, Netanyahu seeks victory over Hamas and says he will go to the end, without explaining what that end would entail. The Israeli army has entered the Gaza Strip, and Hamas has not yet been defeated, while it offers resistance through guerrilla warfare. But no matter how long Hamas continues to fight, the main question remains what comes next, i.e., what to do with the more than two million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip and how to continue to address the issue of Palestinian statehood.
Much of the world has shown in various ways over the past two months that it wants a different policy towards Palestine, which Washington cannot ignore. However, Biden has few options available at this moment, as he faces strong domestic opposition to any disciplining of Israel. Thus, the world's largest power has found itself in a situation where Netanyahu's disobedient right-wing government and the weak Hamas have jeopardized its policies, especially the current administration's plans.
Ultimately, Biden needs a strategy (which he currently lacks) to end the war in Gaza and continue bringing Israel closer to Arab states, while Netanyahu seeks a victory that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin believes is impossible with the current mode of warfare. The longer the war in Gaza and the suffering of Palestinians continue, the harder it will be for Biden to maintain current US positions, and this will cost Israel, even though the country's security, as the US president said, "can rest on the United States," even without other allies.
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