Biden Is Serious

The president is threatening to restrict arms shipments to Israel if the offensive in Rafah takes place. It is a show of power—and an attempt to free himself.

President Joe Biden hasn’t made much progress with words in recent weeks. Despite all diplomatic efforts, the dying in Gaza continues. The Israeli hostages are still in captivity, and negotiations over a cease-fire have not yielded any results.

Biden has now reached for what is perhaps the only effective bargaining chip he has. He has threatened to restrict arms shipments to Israel if a major offensive is launched in Rafah. His announcement was a show of power abroad—and an attempt to free himself at home.

Signal to Critics at Home

It is an attempt to free himself because the war in Gaza is casting a shadow over American politics. It is dividing society and is increasingly becoming a threat to Biden’s reelection campaign. While some are deriding him as “Genocide Joe,” others accuse him of not doing enough for Israel. For that reason, Biden gave a fiery speech a few days ago decrying antisemitism. His threat to stop arms shipments came with assurance that the U.S. will remain responsible for Israel’s security. At the same time, Biden admitted that it was, in fact, American weapons that have claimed the lives of Palestinian civilians.

These are signals to his critics at home, no matter what side they’re on. But whether the signals are received now depends on Benjamin Netanyahu. If he does not back down from the planned offensive, Biden has just given more fodder to his critics.