History will judge President Joe Biden’s break with Israel in its war on Hamas, but the political consequences will come much sooner.
Biden’s shift from standing foursquare behind Israel after the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack to demanding an “immediate ceasefire” six months later is at least partially motivated by his precarious political position.
Since the beginning of the war, Biden has faced considerable dissent on Israel from progressive Democrats, inside his own White House team, in the halls of Congress, and among the activists who power the Left on college campuses and in big cities.
This has only gotten worse as the civilian casualties in Gaza have grown. Hamas embeds itself within civilian population centers, making itself difficult to strike without high death tolls, and Israel has increasingly faced international scrutiny of its conduct of the war.
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Biden’s stance on Israel threatened to deepen his problems with younger and minority voters, some of whom are disproportionately found in the battl …