Biden Faces Test on Israel Policy Ahead of Presidential Election

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Amid the bombing of refugee camps in Gaza Strip by Israel that killed at least 45 people, the White House announced on the 28th (local time) that it will not change its policy toward Israel for the time being. However, as news of Israel’s ground invasion and additional civilian casualties emerged, U.S. President Joe Biden’s policy on Israel has come under significant scrutiny ahead of the presidential election.

John Kirby, White House National Security Communications Coordinator, said at a briefing that Israel has not yet launched a large-scale ground operation in Gaza. Kirby stated, "One tank or one armored vehicle does not constitute a new ground war," adding, "Everything we can see indicates that Israel is not conducting a large-scale ground operation in the densely populated area of central Rafah."

The U.S. government has emphasized opposition to a large-scale ground operation in Rafah unless protective measures for more than 1.4 million civilians in Gaza are prepared. It has defined this as a red line and indicated that it would halt supplies such as shells if this line is crossed.

Meanwhile, on the 26th, the Israeli military airstruck the Tal al-Sultan refugee camp in western Rafah, resulting in at least 45 deaths. The White House judged that the civilian casualties in Rafah were caused by airstrikes, not a ground invasion, and that the red line had not been crossed.

On the other hand, AFP and other news agencies reported, citing Hamas-affiliated Gaza Civil Defense officials, that the Israeli military attacked a refugee camp west of Rafah on the 28th, killing at least 21 people. Israel denied any connection to this incident. Another foreign media outlet quoted witnesses saying that multiple Israeli tanks entered the center of Rafah on the same day.

This news of Israeli airstrikes is causing embarrassment for the Biden administration. The fact that the number of 'no preferred candidate' votes has not decreased within the Democratic primary as a form of protest against Biden’s Israel policy indicates internal division among his supporters. While emphasizing minimizing civilian casualties, the Biden administration’s continued arms support to Israel has been criticized as a 'fork in the road' approach to its Israel policy.

Attention is also focused on whether President Biden will impose some form of 'penalty' on Israel ahead of the November election. Earlier this month, Biden temporarily halted the shipment of one batch of high-explosive ammunition amid rising opposition to a ground invasion of Rafah.