Biden Again Pretends To Be Powerless — This Time About Gaza

The White House is using major U.S. news outlets to pretend it can’t rein in Israel — but the claims don’t add up.

By Adam H Johnson, The Lever

More than 10,000 Palestinians, including 4,200 children, have been killed in Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip that began more than a month ago in response to Hamas’ surprise attack that killed 1,400 Israelis. As the humanitarian crisis and mass death mounts in Gaza — and as 237 Israelis are still being held hostage by Hamas — President Joe Biden is facing a great deal of pressure from millions of protesters around the world, 80 percent of Democratic voters, over 500 Biden campaign alumni, OxFam, Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, 25 Arab and Jewish peace groups in Israel, and 18 United Nations agencies to call for a ceasefire.

Biden explicitly rejected these calls on Thursday, saying there is “no possibility” of a ceasefire, and is still lobbying Congress for an additional 14.3 billion in new weapons and military funding for Israel. Seeking to maintain its brand as a defender of human rights and progress, the Biden administration has instead tried a number of compromise measures to square the circle of its enlightened self-image with support for an unprecedented violent siege and bombing campaign.

Thus far, the White House has attempted to push a few face-saving measures. Chief among them is a so-called “humanitarian pause,” an undefined term which could mean anything from an indefinite cessation of violence to a mere momentary halt to the bombardment. This has not placated activists who are calling for a ceasefire.