Wall Street Journal: Israel created a political problem for Biden in the Middle East
The Wall Street Journal reported, in a report, that Israel has created a huge political problem for US President Joe Biden, as the latter faces pressure from his left and right regarding the conflict in the Middle East.
The Wall Street Journal saw that Biden’s tightrope policy regarding Israel – and his re-election attempt – became more dangerous over the weekend, when hundreds of marches and missiles launched by Iran threatened to escalate the conflict in the Middle East and push gasoline prices to rise.
Wall Street Journal explained, that following the attack, the politics surrounding the conflict in the Middle East were turned upside down, prompting some Republicans to call on the United States to retaliate militarily against Iran, while the Biden administration urged only a diplomatic response.
The Iranian attack and the boldness it demonstrated complicated the political situation for Biden, not only because of the possibility of a broader war, but because it may encourage Hamas to reject the ceasefire agreement with Israel, whose conditions it doesn’t meet.
In this context, Ari Fleischer, who served as press secretary for Republican President George W. Bush, said that “peace and tranquility benefit current presidents, because unrest, violence, and the growing feeling that international events are out of control hurt those in office”.
In turn, Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt said, “Americans want a president who shows strength through diplomacy, keeps the United States away from direct intervention, and keeps its army out of harm’s way, after two decades of failed wars”.
It’s noteworthy that following the Iranian attack, US officials confirmed to NBC their fear that Israel would respond to Iran recklessly, quickly, and without thinking about the consequences.
Sources familiar with the details told NBC that the US President expressed his concern that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to drag the United States into a broader conflict.
Among other things, NBC stated that these concerns stem from the US administration’s point of view regarding Israel’s approach in its war against Hamas, as well as its decision to assassinate senior Quds Force official Hassan Mahdavi in Damascus.
In parallel, Axios website, cited US officials, indicated that Biden told Netanyahu that his country will oppose any Israeli counterattack against Iran, expressing their deep concern that the Israeli response to the Iranian attack on Israel will lead to… A regional war with “catastrophic consequences”.
The US officials said, “Netanyahu expressed his understanding when Biden told him that Washington won’t participate in any offensive operations against Iran, and won’t support such operations”.
In turn, Bloomberg confirmed that the White House and European officials are urging Israel to exercise restraint, in an attempt to prevent the outbreak of a direct conflict with Iran, which could harm the global economy and lead to a rise in oil and gas prices, stressing that Biden is keen to Especially to avoid this in an election year.
