It was an awkward middle ground when the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) strived hard to approve a watered down proposal to increase supplies to Gaza and demanded immediate action “to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.” Israel’s steadfast supporter, the US, abstained and that allowed the resolution to be adopted by the 15-member council.
With its mindless aggression in the Gaza Strip where the death toll has now gone past 20,000, amounting to almost one per cent of the territory’s pre-war population, Israel is finally squandering away whatever sympathy it had garnered in the wake of the Hamas’ October 7 attack on its citizens.
“While it is clear that Israel has the absolute right to respond militarily against a brutal terrorist attack, it is also clear that [Benjamin] Netanyahu’s rightwing, extremist government is waging that war in a deeply reckless and immoral way,” US senator Bernie Sanders remarked last week.
Following the Hamas attack, US President Joe Biden had said that the US would continue to give Israel the military support it needs to protect itself and “finish the job” against Hamas. However, gradually there has been a change in his tone – first calling for Benjamin Netanyahu to shift course and finally warning Israel that it is now going overboard in its retaliation against Hamas, leading to a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale in the Gaza Strip.
Over 355,000 Gazans are suffering from infectious diseases as conditions in the territory worsen, according to latest reports. Even as the US expresses concern about the civilian suffering in Gaza, Israel appears to be paying little heed to American warnings. As a result, some observers claimed, the United States is becoming more and more isolated from the rest of the world while having little influence over Israel.
This is in sharp contrast to the Biden administration’s reaction after Russian forces launched an invasion of Ukraine about two years ago. The US was swift in imposing sanctions on Russia for its military adventurism and led the liberal democratic world in a campaign against a despotic and expansionist Vladimir Putin. The Biden administration’s support (both monetary and military) for Ukraine has greatly helped the latter withstand the Russian might although that assistance too is shrinking now.
While Biden’s unwavering support for Israel aligns with the pro-Israel consensus in Washington, several polls have revealed that a majority of Americans — including most Democrats — want a ceasefire in Gaza. Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu would probably be more than happy to see Donald Trump back in the White House, as the latter regularly gave in to Israel’s requests without even raising an eyebrow.
As a result, Biden seems to be scuttling his chances in next year’s presidential elections by alienating his support base for an ally that in all likelihood is going to side with his Republican rival. At the same time, he appears to be isolating the US on the Gaza issue.