Is it too late to course-correct Biden’s Rafah betrayal? 

Israelis woke up last week and heard from various media outlets that “President Biden: “If Israeli troops enter Rafah, I will not supply them with weapons”” The initial reaction was shock and surprise, but it quickly turned to frustration and, of course, anger towards the US president. Many Israelis, including myself, were also horrified by what this statement meant for Israel’s security.

As a longtime supporter of U.S.-Israel relations and Biden himself, it’s hard to say this, but Biden’s statement felt a bit like a betrayal. And from conversations I’ve had with his colleagues and friends, that sentiment is widespread. For many of us, President Biden has removed the last remaining leverage over Hamas and undermined deterrence against his enemies.

It is worth understanding what is going on in the minds of many Israelis today.It’s only been 7 months since then. Hamas attacked us, committed unspeakable atrocities and massacred our loved ones in one of the most horrific attacks in recent history. The day after Hamas attacked the terrorist organization Hezbollah, control southern Lebanon and supported by Irantargeted Israeli communities in the north and forced them to flee to Israel. 60,000 civilians. These attacks will only intensify.

Hamas on October 7th hundreds of Israeli hostages, including young girls. Some of them are still living through hell in Gaza. Since then, Israel has fought to regain Hamas and eliminate it, with some success, but it is clear that some of its goals have not yet been achieved.

Israel also entered into negotiations with Hamas in hopes of bringing the hostages home. Israel was even prepared to make significant concessions as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. called This was an “extremely generous” proposal, but it was met with repeated negative responses from Hamas. (The recent “yes” from Hamas was not the real Jesus, but more like a “yes”. counter offer Israel cannot accept that. ) And then the following happened. Deciding to enter RafahIt was intended to put further pressure on Hamas, only to have the rug pulled from the rug by the US president.

In recent weeks, we Israelis have been debating how much concessions Israel should make to Hamas in order to bring our loved ones home.In recent days, one of Israel’s main news channels published According to the poll, 41% of Israelis think the government should agree to Hamas’ counter-proposal, while 44% say they are against it. Also, many people do not support the current Prime Minister’s actions and policies. condemnation to him about what happened on October 7th.

In any case, many Israelis do not like it when the president of the United States tries to force Israel to accept American terms, especially when our country is under attack.Appears against the background of report The move appears to be deliberately designed to force Israel to agree to U.S. terms, given that U.S. officials did not share details of the last proposal with Israel before Hamas announced its approval. .

The concern felt by many Israelis is that this latest step not only undermines the possibility of a hostage trade, but also damages Israel’s deterrence against other regional adversaries, namely Hezbollah and Iran. And it’s no wonder they’re worried.

Hezbollah and Iran are watching the recent tensions between Israel and the United States closely and with glee. This latest statement by the president will be interpreted in Beirut and Tehran as if the United States has had enough of Israel’s war in Gaza. That means the United States may not help Israel when it needs to deal with threats from the north. The region has already learned that the United States has been extremely risk-averse in the Middle East in recent years. It is highly unlikely that the United States will become involved militarily, and the president’s latest move will further solidify this idea.

All of this is not to say that Israelis don’t appreciate what Biden has done for us so far. When he came to Israel a few weeks after October 7, he said: his speech started “I came to Israel with one message: You are not alone. You are not alone,” tens of thousands of Israelis cried. He supported Israel for several months and remained true to his promise, despite strong opposition from within his own country and from other countries. We didn’t forget that.

But this recent move is a grave mistake. This war will not bring an end, as it will strengthen Hamas’ stubbornness and invite further attacks against Israel from other fronts, leading to further escalation.

The damage has already been done, and this statement is seen as reinforcing Hamas’s resolve not to agree to anything other than its own proposals and weakening Israel’s deterrence. But President Biden may be able to improve the situation. He needs to coordinate with Israel, publish relevant proposals to which Israel has agreed, and state that the United States supports this position. If Hamas refuses, it should announce that it will provide Israel with adequate support to continue its presence in Rafah, making clear that the United States stands by Israel’s side against the threat from Hezbollah and Iran. It is. Such a move would help the US put pressure on Hamas and reach a ceasefire agreement. “Iron-clad” Israel’s commitment to security.

I still believe that President Biden cares about Israel’s security. He made a terrible mistake, but it may take time to fix it.

Nadav Pollack is a lecturer in Middle East Studies at Reichmann University and a former fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.