The people of Gaza, already in utter crisis as clean water and electricity vanish, are reeling from the catastrophic explosion at a Gazan hospital that killed hundreds on Tuesday. Countless Israelis remain anguished over loved ones who have been killed or taken hostage by Hamas since October 7. It's against this horrifying backdrop that President Biden arrived in Israel today, where he reaffirmed unwavering support for Israel while urging the country not to be "consumed by rage." The US has since announced $100 million in aid to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank; Biden said Israel has agreed to allow some aid to reach Gaza.
These are some of the takeaways from Biden's visit so far. To grapple with the moral complexities of the moment and the broader historical context of Biden's visit, check out this conversation my colleague Noah Lanard had with Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator who went viral last week after slamming a BBC anchor's framing that the Israeli government's response has been "legitimate." Their discussion on the corrosive impacts of the US's unconditional support for the Israeli government is wholly worth your time today. This one point made by Levy in particular is staying with me:
If you want to take seriously the idea that no one who is a civilian should be targeted without distinction, then you cannot be indifferent to something that is premeditated in targeting civilians in Gaza. There’s an argument that says: Hamas started this, Hamas embeds itself amongst the population, so anything that happens to the Palestinians of Gaza will be laid at Hamas’ door. You cannot cut off water, food, fuel, electricity, medical supplies, humanitarian systems, bomb pretty much indiscriminately, force the relocation of half the civilians in Gaza and say that’s OK. It’s patently not.
So, what can be done on a diplomatic front? How does the US deal with the disaster that is Benjamin Netanyahu? Well, David Corn has some reading for the Biden administration:
After all of Netanyahu’s failures and miscalculations, who wants to bet on him now? He deserves no blank check...How far will Biden go to rein in Netanyahu? The appalling images coming out of Gaza before the expected ground assault are not reassuring on this front. As I write this, Biden is in Israel huddling with Netanyahu. This strikes me as a mistake that could possibly be viewed as a vote of confidence in Netanyahu and that could tie the United States further to the devastation underway in Gaza.
The Biden administration cannot defer to Netanyahu. As Israel’s number-one underwriter—to the tune of $3.9 billion a year—it has leverage, and it ought to use it to prevent further Netanyahu miscalculation and more brutality in Gaza. This man cannot be trusted—especially not to lead a military action with possible consequences for the entire planet.
—Inae Oh
