The president will reaffirm his solidarity with Israel with his trip Wednesday, while seeking aid for civilians in Gaza and to avoid a wider escalation of the war
By Nicole Gaudiano and Amie Parnes
President Joe Biden is reinforcing his message of “steadfast support” for Israel with the ultimate expression of solidarity as he travels to the country a little more than a week after the surprise terrorist attack by Hamas.
It’s a response that has won him praise from Jewish leaders at home and abroad. But now the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening and the Palestinian death toll is rising, with incidents including a deadly explosion at a hospital that caused massive protests in the West Bank on Tuesday.
Tensions grew so high that Jordan’s foreign minister told state television that the country called off a planned summit Wednesday between the leaders of Jordan, Palestine and Egypt and Biden just as the president was set to depart for the region. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had pulled out of the meeting earlier Tuesday, declaring three days of mourning after the Gaza hospital explosion.
"I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted," Biden said in a statement released as he traveled to Israel. "The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy."
Striking the right tone will become far more complicated for Biden, both in public and behind the scenes with Israeli officials as he seeks to avoid a wider escalation of the conflict.
Biden’s fulsome support for Israel has already led to protests at the White House from progressive American Jews and allies calling for a ceasefire. It has also angered Muslim and Arab American groups who believe the suffering of the Palestinian people is being overlooked, even as the U.S. pushes for the provision of humanitarian aid to civilians.
“Nobody is immune from the images of children being taken to the hospital,” one former Biden administration official said. “I’d imagine the White House is definitely trying to walk a balance to stay supportive of Israel but also talking to Israel behind the scenes to show some restraint.”
‘It’s all a nightmare’
The death toll among Palestinians has risen to about 3,000 as Israel responds to the attack that killed at least 1,400, including 30 Americans. Israel is planning for the next stages of the war as 13 Americans remain missing, including some who are believed to be hostages.
To maintain support, Biden and Israeli officials will need to prepare the public for what they’ll see and explain why it should not change their attitudes, said Drew Westen, a psychologist and founder of a strategic messaging firm who has advised Democrats.
“If they don’t do that, it would be a disaster,” he said. “Because we’ve already seen high death tolls in Gaza and the idea of moving hundreds of thousands of people out of there temporarily — it’s all a nightmare.”
After the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, some Democrats on the left were denounced for calling for a ceasefire or being critical of the Israeli government. The White House condemned what it called “two sides” rhetoric, describing such responses as “repugnant” and “disgraceful.”
Biden is already walking a fine line. While supporting Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism, he has repeatedly called on Israel to follow the rules of war. He also told CBS’ “60 Minutes” it would be a “big mistake” if the Israelis tried to occupy Gaza.
“Look, what happened in Gaza, in my view, is Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don't represent all the Palestinian people,” he said in the interview that aired Sunday. “But taking out the extremists – the Hezbollah is up north but Hamas down south – is a necessary requirement.”
At home, Biden has pledged to continue the fight against “antisemitism and Islamophobia” amid reports of hate crimes. He spoke out after the murder of a Palestinian-American six-year-old child and the attempted murder of the child’s mother in Illinois, saying, “There is no place in America for hate against anyone.”
Biden, who was invited to Israel by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, posted on X that he’s traveling there to “stand in solidarity in the face of Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack.”
He had planned to meet with Abbas, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during the meeting in Jordan and to discuss “dire humanitarian needs.” But Biden postponed plans to travel to Jordan after speaking with Abdullah in light of days of mourning announced by Abbas, according to a White House official.
Hamas blamed the hospital explosion on an Israeli air strike, while the Israeli Defense Force said it was a result of a failed rocket launch by Islamic Jihad, a Gaza-based terrorist group.
"Immediately upon hearing this news, I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and have directed my national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened," Biden said in his statement.
‘No escape route’
James Zogby, founder and president of the Arab American Institute, told The Messenger that he’s glad Biden spoke out forcefully and showed compassion for Israelis on the day of the Hamas attack. But since then, he said, the “posturing” from the White House has been the worst he’s lived through.
In discussions with White House officials, Zogby said he tried to make it clear that there were “two narratives and the messaging was not fully recognizing that and not recognizing the humanity of Palestinians.”
“The cries of the people who died on Oct. 7 can't drown out all the voices of those who've died and are suffering since then,” said Zogby, a former member of the Democratic National Committee’s executive committee. He worries that “they left themselves no escape route for an expanding of the message.”
“It's almost too late for them to change direction because they have actually enabled what Israel has done so far,” Zogby said. “They’ve enabled it with arms and political support.”
It’s true that, since Biden is traveling to Israel, he can’t turn back and be less supportive than he was last week, one Democratic strategist said. “He is where he is on this,” the strategist said.
“That said, I do think that behind the scenes, he's telling Israel ‘You do what you have to do to protect yourself but think of the world consequences. We're telling you this for your own good. Make sure you don't become the villains in your story,'" the strategist said. "He would be acting as a good ally to caution them in order to continue to have the world's goodwill.”
The administration has a clear policy that Israel has a right and responsibility to remove Hamas while also minimizing the suffering of civilians, “and that’s a perfectly reasonable position,” said Mark Mellman, president and CEO of the Democratic Majority for Israel.
“President Biden has done everything right, from a pro-Israel point of view,” Mellman said. “But that's also given him a lot of credibility to deal with Israeli leadership, and we're seeing the benefits of that.”