Thank you, Mr. President
The images of President Joe Biden’s wartime visit under rocket fire were balm for the soul of the bruised Israeli public.
But while the gesture warmed our hearts, our heads ached at what it meant. Israelis aren’t the only ones to have lost faith in their political and military leadership — Uncle Sam has too. If Biden didn’t doubt Israel’s ability to defend itself, and the resolve of its leaders, he wouldn’t have thrown all of America’s weight into the conflict.
Biden didn’t only say “don’t” to Israel’s enemies in the region. He had a similar warning for the Israeli war cabinet in their closed-door meeting. Biden posed a question to all the officials present that Israelis have been pondering themselves: “What’s your vision for the day after?”
One cabinet minister who was asked what Israel gained from the presidential visit broke his answer into two parts. First, on the public relations front: Biden (like Clinton after the Rabin assassination) is the only leader to have won the Israeli public’s heart in the aftermath of the attack.
Create a free account to keep reading.
