Biden Admonishes Netanyahu. Gaza War Puts US-Israeli Relations to the Test

Joe Biden is taking a tougher stance against the Israeli government, but it’s mainly symbolic. Biden’s team has not decided to take the step that would have the greatest practical impact on the war in Gaza.

The nearly six-month-old war in Gaza is putting the U.S.-Israel alliance to an unprecedented test. The offensive in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the killing of 1,400 civilians has not yet eradicated the terrorist organization. Yet, it has resulted in the deaths of more than 30,000 Palestinians. There is growing criticism of the Biden administration, which supports retaliatory action, although it calls for restraint and the minimizing of civilian casualties. The U.S. president has recently been taking a tougher position with Israel, but mostly with words and symbolic action, which critics say will not change the way he conducts the war.

Biden Would Prefer Another Prime Minister in Jerusalem

Biden spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and expressed outrage at the attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy, which killed seven employees of this humanitarian organization, including, Damian Sobol, a Polish man. The day before, Biden had issued a statement condemning the killing. In his conversation with Netanyahu, the White House said, he tried to convince him that the offensive against Hamas should be conducted in a way that minimizes civilian casualties. He also insisted on an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and threatened unspecified consequences if Israel did not minimize civilian casualties and facilitate humanitarian aid.

In response to televised images of destruction and carnage in Gaza, there is growing resentment toward Israel in America, mainly among left-wing Democratic voters. Antisemitic incidents are on the rise. In mid-March, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Netanyahu was an “obstacle to peace” in the Middle East, blamed him for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and called for Israel to hold a new election. In Washington, no one doubts that the senator issued his unprecedented appeal with the approval — or at least with consent — from the White House. Biden would undoubtedly like to see someone else as prime minister in Jerusalem, but as president, he can’t say that.

Yet his administration has decided to send Israel two warning signals rarely used in U.S.-Israeli relations. In late February, the U.S. imposed sanctions on three Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, known for violent attacks on Palestinians. On March 25, the U.S. government abstained from voting in the United Nations, allowing the Security Council to pass a resolution demanding an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza during Ramadan. In the past, Washington vetoed resolutions critical of Israel.

US Criticizes Israel, but Sends Arms Them Arms

However, Biden’s team has not decided on the step that would have the most practical significance — exerting pressure by limiting or ending the supply of weapons and military equipment. On the same day Israeli missiles hit the World Central Kitchen convoy, the U.S. sent Israel 1,800 one-ton bombs capable of knocking down apartment blocks and leaving 11-meter-deep (about 36 feet) craters. Congress approved the delivery last week and also approved new deliveries of combat aircraft. Critics of the administration emphasize that the bombing of a humanitarian organization’s vehicles was not an isolated incident and have condemned Netanyahu’s defense of the tragedy, saying that such things “happen in war.”

In the wake of the deaths of World Central Kitchen workers, there are growing calls in the U.S. to make further military aid to Israel conditional. These include banning the use of certain weapons to pacify Palestinian protesters in the West Bank, and not providing the types of weapons that cause the most civilian casualties. Israel reportedly has technologies that allow it to strike a target “with surgical precision” and minimize civilian casualties. On Thursday, prominent Sen. Elizabeth Warren, leader of the left wing of the Democratic Party, called for the suspension of deliveries. Earlier, Bernie Sanders, who belongs to the same faction, spoke in a similar vein. Democratic representatives have been calling for an end to military aid for a long time.

For Netanyahu, It Is Actions That Matter

In Washington, however, people believe that Biden will not let this happen. The president has repeatedly stressed that America will not do anything to “limit Israel’s ability to defend itself.” This has been the course of U.S. policy for decades, which the current president follows out of personal convictions — as experts remind us. After the Biden-Netanyahu phone call, Secretary of State Antony Blinken hinted that the policy could change, saying it would “depend on Israel’s actions in the near future.” Nonetheless, Biden’s administration has yet to take the most pragmatically significant action: exerting pressure to protect civilians and increase humanitarian aid by restricting or refusing to send weapons and military equipment.

However, assessing whether these ambiguous statements foreshadow real change is difficult. Congress has also supported unconditional supplies of weapons and equipment to Israel, where it has met with the backing of almost all Republicans. And a possible change of course could also cost American Jewish votes. Seventy percent of the diaspora in the U.S. traditionally support the Democratic Party. Still, its Republican-leaning segment could grow if people believe Biden’s Democratic administration is abandoning Israel.

If military aid doesn’t depend on what Israel does, we can’t expect that Israel will change its policy in Gaza. No admonition or appeal to date has affected Netanyahu’s conduct. “For him, it’s not what Biden says that matters, it’s what he does,” said Ben Rhodes, Barack Obama’s former deputy national security adviser.*

Biden Has a Lot To Lose

Continuing unconditional aid to Israel is extremely costly for Biden politically. In the Democratic primary in Wisconsin, almost 48,000 voters cast their ballots as “uninstructed.” The same is true in Michigan, and in both states in 2020 the results were unclear. In Wisconsin, Biden defeated Trump by a margin of only 20,000 votes. Polls suggest that if the election were held today, Biden would lose to a rival in Michigan, as in several other swing states. The analysis shows that one of the main reasons for the withdrawal of support is the reluctance of the Democratic left to support his pro-Israel policies. In Michigan, Biden,in particular lost the votes of American Arabs, who are numerous in that state.

The White House notes that support for Israel does not mean support for Netanyahu’s policies, especially his brutal way of waging war in Gaza. The administration is privately saying that the prime minister is not very popular in Israel because of alleged corruption. People suspect he is prolonging the war, knowing that it is the only way for him to stay in office. Biden’s team is likely counting on a snap election in Israel in which the more moderate Benny Gantz would replace Netanyahu. However, the Biden administration knows that the majority of the Israeli public support the Gaza offensive itself and victory over Hamas at all costs.

Biden’s hopes for a more prosperous turn of events, and for the support of left-wing Democrats in November rest ultimately on an end to the war in Gaza and seeing that it will cease to be a hot topic for American voters.

*Editor’s Note: This quote, though accurately translated, could not be independently verified.