The president must resolve America’s crisis of conscience on Gaza 

In the midst of a violent Israeli attack on Gaza and a possible attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, President Biden must make a critical decision that will define his presidency.

Should he continue to support our longtime allies in the Middle East and turn a blind eye to the slaughter of thousands of innocent Palestinian men, women, and children? Or should the United States rely on its better angels and stop shipping weapons of mass destruction to the rogue government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?

Only a better writer than me can properly evaluate this work. misery and the horrors of Gaza. Since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 Israelis, More than 30,000 Palestinian civilians killed. More than half of the victims are women and children.

Many more people are missing, buried in bombed houses and buildings. Without enough food, shelter, and medical care to sustain them, many more will soon perish.

The carnage will get even worse if the Prime Minister fulfills his promise to spread a trail of death and destruction and attacks Rafah.

President Biden’s course of action will have significant national security and domestic political implications.

The United States relinquished its moral high ground and defied world opinion by arming Prime Minister Netanyahu’s attack on innocent Palestinians. Realists may think I’m a romantic, but I like to think that international goodwill is at least as important to U.S. national security as the billions of dollars spent on arms and ammunition.

The Middle East has been in turmoil for decades, and it is about to get even worse. The invasion of Gaza will energize Arab streets, and its hostilities are sure to create a new generation of young people seeking revenge against Israel, the United States, and its Western allies.

Hostility toward Israel will strengthen the hand of radical Islamists who run Iran. China, Russia, Iran They rallied around the Palestinian cause and created the formidable Iron Triangle to limit American influence in the troubled region. When he three major adversaries align around a single cause, a global conflict becomes more likely.

Certainly, smart diplomats and military strategists could find a way to end Hamas’s reign of terror without killing innocent non-combatants drawn into a war they didn’t ask for.

Disturbing media images of maimed and dead Palestinian children have dealt a major blow to public support for Israel’s actions.last month’s Gallup poll It turns out that US support for the invasion of Gaza has fallen from 50% to 36% since November. Only one in four Americans supports the administration’s policies in the region.

international uproar over The tragic deaths of seven World Central Kitchen employees Those who tried to deliver food to the inhabitants of the besieged enclave would further reduce their numbers. The Biden administration’s decision on the day of the attack was to provide relief to more than 1,000 people. 500 pounds The bombing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rubbed salt into the wound and intensified anger.

Six months before the election, at a time when party unity is extremely important, 3 out of 4 Democrats oppose Israel’s actions According to a national Gallup poll. Young members of the Democratic Party are particularly dissatisfied. Candidate Biden needs their enthusiasm to counter the energy of Donald Trump’s MAGA mob at the polls. Even if President Trump fully accepts Prime Minister Netanyahu, his return to the White House will only worsen the turmoil in the Middle East.

There’s nothing worse for a president seeking reelection than appearing weak. Actions speak louder than words. The president is I talked about the massacre in Gaza. But he hasn’t walked that path. His criticism of the prime minister is understandable, but by not acting on these complaints, the president appears powerless.

To escape the dark shadow that the violence in Gaza has cast on his presidency, Joe Biden must make a clean break in word and deed from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign of death and destruction against the Palestinians.

It’s time for the president to take the lead and resolve the crisis of conscience that plagues so many Americans and people around the world.

brad bannon He is a Democratic pollster, CEO of Bannon Communications Research, and host of a progressive podcast about power, politics, and policy. Deadline DC with Brad Bannon.