A visit by the U.S. President to Israel at this time may carry certain risks, but the potential benefits make it a worthwhile endeavor.
US President Joe Biden has made the decision to visit Israel this week. While this trip is not without its risks for him, his Israeli hosts, and the evolving U.S. strategy in managing the global repercussions of the conflict with Hamas, it is a sound decision.
Several other allied leaders are also embarking on visits to the region, such as Olaf Scholz, who has reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to Israel’s security. However, there remains a distinction between a German chancellor’s visit and that of a U.S. president.
In the current challenging moment, where the world is divided over the Russian conflict in Ukraine and the Israel-Palestine conflict, it’s crucial to express where alliances should stand. In the first case, it’s with the Ukrainians, not the Russians; in the second case, it’s with the Israelis, not Hamas or their supporters in Tehran.
Even so, the current situation — and therefore also the president’s itinerary — requires special finesse. That’s because Biden and his team are trying to do at least four things at once.
First, they want to give succor to Israel in its hour of need. Second, they’re trying to get the hostages held by Hamas out alive — and not just the US citizens among them. Third, they’re working to protect innocent Palestinian lives in the Gaza Strip. Not least, they’re also laboring to keep this war from drawing in other countries and becoming conflated with adjacent conflicts, possibly even kindling a global conflagration. President to Israel
So far, Biden is sending all the right signals. He’s struck deeply personal notes both in his condolences for the Jewish victims and in his principled and compassionate rejection of any hatred, including that directed at Muslims, in Gaza just as at home.