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Joe Biden’s Contradictions Are Hurting Israel
Joe Biden, President of the United States. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
JNS.org – US President Joe Biden’s approach to Israel since the start of the Oct. 7 war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip has my head spinning. His approach has been marked by a delicate balancing act that attempts to support a key ally on one hand while addressing humanitarian concerns faced by Gazan civilians on the other. However, this balancing act—some might call it “nuanced”—has led to contradictions that impact the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Remember that it began after a horde of Hamas terrorists invaded Israeli communities along the Gaza border, murdered 1,200 people, and kidnapped some 250 Israelis and citizens of other countries, including a number who hold citizenship in the United States.
I have no doubt that Biden’s quickly spoken words of support for Israel and his ordering the US Navy to post two carrier strike groups off of Israel’s Mediterranean coast were sincere in their intent and purpose to thwart any ideas that Hezbollah and its Iranian sponsor may have had for joining in the war against Israel. Israel was quick to recognize Biden’s support when, within a week after the ground war started, large posters thanking him appeared in cities around the country. (The one near my home in Jerusalem is now down.)
But let’s look at the contradictions:
First, Biden has repeatedly emphasized his “ironclad” support for Israel. His visit to Israel on Oct. 18 so soon after the terrorist attacks was evidence of that. His recent comments in response to Iran’s missile launches and drone attacks overnight on April 13-14 are another example.
Yet at the same time, while recognizing Israel’s need to eliminate Hamas, the administration bemoans the “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza that the war has created. Its call for increased aid to and the protection of civilians reflects this concern without in any way laying the blame for the crisis at the feet of Hamas, which steals food and fuel being delivered to the Strip before it can reach the Palestinian public.
Second, the Biden administration supports Israel’s military actions against threats posed by Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. However, it also questions the motives of Israel’s war cabinet and chastises Israel for not having a game plan in place for administering Gaza “the day after” the war ends. Calls by leading Democrat politicians for what effectively is regime change in Israel could not have happened without clearance from the White House.
Thus, backing Israel’s war efforts while expressing reservations about its leadership affects negotiations and decision-making during the conflict.
Iran’s attack on Israel and the resulting US involvement shows the third contradiction. For when Tehran launched its barrage of more than 300 missiles and drones, the US military assisted Israel in intercepting many of them. Then, within hours and after witnessing a modern-day miracle of military technology, the Biden administration was urging Israel’s leadership to use restraint in any response. “Take the win,” Biden stated.
So, supporting Israel’s defense against Iranian aggression while urging restraint creates a delicate juggling act even in the best of times, and at this time, affects the dynamics of the conflict and raises more questions about escalation than it answers.
Fourth, and perhaps most significantly, the contradiction can be summed up in one word: Rafah. A city of some 175,000 people located on the border between Gaza and Egypt has now swelled by some estimates to 1.4 million people due to the influx of those who left the northern part of the coastal enclave following the Israeli incursion to root out and destroy Hamas. Rafah is the last Hamas stronghold with an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 fighters in its midst.
Publicly, the Biden administration has disagreed with Israel over how to remove Hamas terrorists from Rafah, which Israel believes has to be done in order to secure the country’s safety. Anything less than eradicating the terrorist organization there will be deemed by many as a win of the war by Hamas.
At the end of the day, Biden’s policies remain contradictory. The administration’s attempt to balance unwavering support for Israel’s war efforts, along with defense for future Iranian and Hezbollah attacks with humanitarian considerations for Gaza’s civilians, impacts negotiations, Israel’s military actions and civilian safety. As the war continues, finding a coherent path forward remains a challenge. Is the American president up to dealing with it?
The post Joe Biden’s Contradictions Are Hurting Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.