Joe Biden is taking a huge political risk by going to Israel amid Gaza conflict
US President Joe Biden is taking a huge political risk by flying to Israel.
He is on what could be seen as a peace-making trip to the region, which at the very least is certain to pause the all-out assault on the Gaza Strip for 48 hours.
Israel’s armed forces will not be launching their ground assault while Biden is there.
His presence should also open an opportunity for much-needed humanitarian aid to go in.
Biden will also be trying to prevent this war spreading to other countries.
The US delegation will not expect to stop Israel’s forces going into Gaza but they will hope to create a political dialogue about what will happen to this disputed territory when the shooting stops.
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If Biden succeeds, this will demonstrate his political nous at a very tense moment in history.
His presidential rival, Donald Trump, is on the back foot about the crisis, having called the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah “smart”.
But if the conflict does widen to neighbouring countries, such as Lebanon, Iran or Syria, it will diminish Biden’s standing.
I doubt, though, that he will have gone to Israel without believing he can temper the situation.
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We have already heard the Israelis say they will not turn off Gaza’s water and electricity.
And there is some talk about them not keeping armed forces in the strip following the ground assault.
Most observers believe the Israeli Defence Force will have to occupy Gaza for some period before they withdraw, otherwise Hamas will just come back.
They can do great damage to Hamas, who are now akin to the Islamic State.
Hamas has already lost many of its most dangerous fighters in the terror attack on Israel on October 7, with at least 1,500 dead.
But destroying the Hamas ideology will be a far tougher prospect, especially in the wake of an Israeli invasion.
That power vacuum will need to be filled quickly and the future is what Biden will be thinking about.
There is also pressure on the Egyptians to open up the Rafah crossing so that Gazans can escape the war zone.
They are scared that the Palestinians will never leave if they let them in and the US will want to broker an agreement that reassures all sides.
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The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the EU have also been talking about the need for a humanitarian process, so there is a united front.
In the end, though, they will follow the American lead.