President Joe Biden is a self-proclaimed, proud Zionist. He has more than a half-century history of strong support for the state of Israel to back up that claim. Biden’s support for Israel is visceral. He believes in the Jewish state and its mission and feels it in his kishkes.
Biden’s historic visit to Israel only days after the Oct. 7 massacre and his warm embrace of Israel and its people with the singular message of “You are not alone” was a reassuring shot in the arm to a nation and a people who were reeling in pain and worried for their future. And his unwavering support of Israel’s defense efforts on multiple fronts over the past year has helped enable the Jewish state to defend its people against sworn enemies and massive missile and other attacks that could have been disastrous.
Biden is a genuine friend of Israel, and no one should question those bona fides.
But over the past several months, questions have been raised about the quality and sincerity of Biden’s support for Israel after he expressed dismay about loss of life in Gaza, delayed delivery of certain offensive weaponry to Israel, sought to navigate a quick cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah immediately after Israel responded forcefully to the year-long bombardment of ground and missile attacks from the terrorist group on northern Israel and suggested limitations on Israel’s response to massive missile attacks from Iran.
While there is room for disagreement with certain of Biden’s suggestions, none of that justifies the accusation that he has somehow abandoned the Jewish state or in any way diminished his support. Biden’s comments reflect the nuanced, moderate approach he has long promoted on international issues, focused on efforts to resolve conflict through diplomacy rather than war.
Critics argue that Israel is in a unique position to change the Middle East narrative. They cite the combination of Israel’s near-total decimation of Hamas in Gaza, the technological elimination of Hezbollah terrorists with exploding pagers and radios, the strategic dismantling of Hezbollah’s leadership and friends in Lebanon and the pinpointed targeting of Houthi strongholds in Yemen as combining to effectively denude Iran’s proxy warriors.
And they wonder about Iran’s military capability against a powerful, strategic Israeli military backed by the U.S. Critics see Iran as vulnerable to a range of targeted moves by Israel — including a possible attack on Iranian nuclear facilities or the destruction of Iran’s oil reserves. Some even argue that the U.S. itself should make one or another of those moves in support of its ally Israel, which it helped defend against Iranian aggression.
Other critics wonder whether Biden’s cautionary pronouncements are somehow driven by animus toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or as an effort to bolster Vice President Kamala Harris’ electoral efforts in Minnesota and elsewhere. We don’t think so.
While we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, Biden has made clear that it is up to Israel to decide how best to respond to Iran’s aggression. That said, he knows that the opinion of Israel’s most valuable and most trusted ally carries weight.
We have no question that Israel is carefully considering Biden’s views as it decides on next steps.
