Joe Biden’s Deescalating Contribution in the Middle East

If there were no pressure from the White House, Israel would have marched into Lebanon a while ago. Things could change under Donald Trump.

While many are asking when the situation in Lebanon will finally escalate, they often forget something: The open war with Hezbollah would have started a while ago if pressure from Joe Biden’s administration had not prevented it until now. In that case, Israel would not be closer to achieving victory over Hamas, but its army probably would have suffered many more casualties, and the situation in a Lebanon that is already in dire straits would have been disastrous, not to mention the regional consequences.

Another Course under Trump

The U.S. push for restraint was not only important in this regard. This fact is often ignored in the face of the horrendous number of deaths in Gaza and the U.S.’ robust support for Israel’s army.

But in many respects, the war would have developed very differently if Donald Trump had been in Washington rather than Joe Biden. The innumerable rounds of negotiations for a hostage deal that were successful at least once in November; the stipulations for the offensive in Rafah; the many attempts by Amos Hochstein to mediate in Lebanon, which unfortunately have failed thus far — they probably would never have happened under Trump.

As president, Trump worked to systematically starve out Palestinian authorities and contributed to strengthening Hamas financially. As such, he made his contribution to the misery — and he could do so again if he emerges victorious from the coming presidential election.