There is also fallout in Gaza, where Hamas keeps rejecting offers of a cease-fire in exchange for a release of all hostages. The rejection is widely seen as evidence the surviving leaders of the Oct. 7 invasion believe time is on their side and that the offers will get better because of Biden’s pressure.
"During most of the six months of Israel’s war with Hamas, President Biden has given support to our ally with one hand and undercut it with the other.
"The approach features both Biden’s quiet supply of munitions to Israel and a near-daily dose of harsh public criticism of its military conduct.
"It’s all part of a convoluted plan to formally back the beleaguered Jewish state while also appeasing angry members of the Democrats’ far-left wing, many of whom are antisemites who believe Israel has no right to exist.
"The plan is so obviously a political calculation that a popular joke holds that Biden’s talk of a two-state solution isn’t really about Israel and a Palestinian state — it’s about appealing to Muslim-American voters in Michigan and Minnesota!
"Jokes aside, that remains the basic policy, but nothing in war or politics is stagnant.
"And with each passing day, it becomes more and more obvious that, as Biden’s re-election campaign falters, his administration’s criticism of Israel grows more desperate and strident.
"Amid polls showing Donald Trump beating the president in most battleground states, including Michigan, the White House tone has shifted sharply against our ally. " . . .
Pollak: How Biden Brought Israel to the Brink of Failure (breitbart.com) "Hamas declared victory Sunday after Israel withdrew its ground forces from southern Gaza, partly in deference to President Joe Biden’s call for an “immediate ceasefire.” Israel now stands on the precipice of failure in the war.
"Israelis are asking, naturally, how this came to pass.
"The accidental killing of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) was the trigger, and some Israelis wonder if they should have emphasized aid for Gaza sooner.
"The problem, actually, was that Israel accepted responsibility for the welfare of the Palestinian civilian population in the first place, over and above its legal obligation not to target civilians (as Hamas does in both Gaza and Israel).
"In a typical war, each side is responsible for its own civilians. The side that can no longer protect its people loses and surrenders. Certainly the aggressor — as Palestinians were in this case — has no right to demand special treatment.
"That rule is inverted in Gaza, where anti-Israel activists and left-wing “progressives” have pushed the false idea that Israel is an occupying power. (Israel pulled its soldiers and civilians out in 2005; Hamas took over in a 2007 coup)." . . .
At this stage, Israel has three choices.
One: it can press ahead into Rafah, hoping Biden will not follow through with his threats.
Two: it can change governments, hoping Biden is friendlier to someone who is not named Netanyahu.
Three: Israel can wait until the American elections are over, hoping that Trump replaces Biden — or else that Biden, no longer constrained by fear of pro-Hamas voters, will finally help Israel win, as he should have from the start.
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