Joe Biden’s trip to Israel this week is without precedent in US history. Never before has a US president rushed to a conflict zone so quickly after the outbreak of a war, much less one in which no US troops are directly engaged. The unprecedented nature of the visit is a testament to the stakes. Israel is at war after suffering the worst violence in its history, and a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the threat of wider regional war remains ever-present. Into the maelstrom comes Biden, hoping to shape what comes next – and making decisions which will reverberate for decades to come.
It’s clear that Biden’s first priority is to signal his unwavering support for Israel. From the opening moments of the crisis, Biden has made it clear that he will provide Tel Aviv with both moral and material support in its battle against Hamas. A presidential visit is intended as another signal that Biden stands with Israel, but sending that signal also carries risks. At a time when anger is boiling over and casualties are mounting in Gaza, Biden is essentially giving the US seal of approval to what Israel is doing – and to whatever it will do next.
