In the entire history of relations with the United States, there has never been such a rapid and unequivocal mobilization of an American administration on Israel's side – and precisely after "squeaks" between Biden and Netanyahu.
The three pillars of relations – values, interests, politics – converged to support this. On a moral level, the administration was appalled by the horrors that resurfaced the memory of the Holocaust. As for American interests, the intention to defeat Hamas is consistent with the need to fight terrorism and restore stability in the region.
On the political level, despite the positions of radicals on campuses and on the fringes of the Democratic Party, huge majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives identify with Israel. The backup was translated into the flow of aid and reinforcement of two aircraft carriers in the eastern Mediterranean. In addition, fighter jets were sent to bases in the Gulf, including those intended for close assistance to ground forces.
The message is clear: Iran and/or Hezbollah will pay a high price if they expand the circle of fighting. The U.S. doesn't usually make empty threats. And there is considerable value to this.
At the same time, the Americans expect Israel's moves to be consistent with shared values and the need to rescue American citizens from Gaza. Hence the distinction between the IDF's freedom of action to strike Hamas and uproot its hold on the northern Gaza Strip and humanitarian solutions in the south, including the renewal of the water supply there, which could also lead to the opening of a corridor to Egypt.
The Israeli challenge is to tie this to American coordination with the issue of abductees. At the same time, the pressure on Qatar must also be intensified and the severity of the patronage given to the leaders of the murder organization in Doha should be sharpened.
The past teaches us that backup is also a "perishable asset," especially if it is not used effectively. The administration understands very well that Israel cannot give up, in light of what has happened, the ground operation against Hamas and Islamic Jihad. But he must also consider the changing picture in the media, and listen to the moods of the progressive wing of his party. Hence the attempt to outline a coordinated and differentiated policy that will respond to both challenges.
The decisive test is yet to come: If Hezbollah and Iran carry out their threats to intervene, the American administration will face the need to repay the bill signed by the president on the first day of the fighting, and in his moving speech:
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The writer is Vice President of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS) and a lecturer at the Shalem Academic Center. Served as deputy head of the National Security Council and senior military intelligence official
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