US President Joe Biden and his team have significantly changed their rhetoric regarding the Israel-Hamas war in recent days and, while initially emphasizing their undivided support for Israel, are now emphasizing the need to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza in the face of and the ground operation of the Israeli army.

Biden has not moved from his fundamental principle that Israel has a right to self-defense and a responsibility to defend itself after the October 7 attack by Hamas that killed 1,400 people in the southern part of the country, his advisers note.

But the rapidly increasing Palestinian death toll, the difficulty of freeing hostages held by Hamas, and growing criticism from Arab countries, European partners and some Americans have pushed the Biden team to support a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and to focus on providing aid to the Palestinians, multiple sources inside and outside the government have pointed out.

A White House official noted that the change in rhetoric is based on “to the events on the ground” in Gaza, where the humanitarian crisis is worsening, and “to the discussions with countries around the world” that the Biden team is having.

A standoff over the American message is raging behind the scenes among Biden’s advisers, a former official with close ties to administration officials has revealed. “We’ve seen a bit of a shift from a full, unconditional embrace of Israel to adding a few nuances,” he noted.

The US administration did not expect the Palestinian death toll to rise so quickly — with more than 7,000 people killed so far in Gaza, according to local officials–, but neither that the humanitarian situation would deteriorate so rapidly, said a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“I think it’s clearly changed the context, in response to changing situations and what looks like an even greater impending disaster should the Israelis move into Gaza with a major operation,” said Aaron David Miller, an expert on Middle East issues at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The 80-year-old Biden has also changed his stance ahead of the 2024 election, as his supporters are threatening not to vote for him because he does not support the Palestinians, but also after former President Barack Obama warned that Israel’s actions might backfire.

Israeli officials and their American supporters have privately expressed concerns to Reuters that as more time passes since Oct. 7, the more the world will focus on the death and destruction from Israel’s incursions into Gaza.

Biden advisers are asking their Israeli counterparts to think longer about their exit strategy before proceeding with a ground operation in Gaza, a US source said.

Meanwhile, US military advisers in the region are advising the Israelis to be more cautious because any invasion force will face a difficult battlefield as well as a complex of underground tunnels and trapped buildings, situations that could increase casualties among Israeli soldiers and civilians in Gaza. , another source with knowledge of the talks said.

Pressure from Arab leaders

When Hamas militants launched their attack on Israel on October 7, Biden expressed his full support for the country, noting that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “Israel has the right to defend itself and its people. Perfect”. He did not mention the Palestinians at all.

Speaking to reporters before departing for the Middle East on October 11, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the main objective of his trip was a strong show of solidarity with Israel, including providing the military equipment it needs to defend itself. He did not mention the provision of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.

During Biden’s six-day visit to the Middle East, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli raids has skyrocketed, while concerns about the supply of food and water to the Palestinian enclave have intensified. All Arab leaders called on Blinken to find an immediate solution to the worsening situation in Gaza.

The US minister conveyed their concerns to Biden, while others spoke to the US president themselves.

In addition, the intense protests against Israel after the explosion in a Palestinian hospital in Gaza, for which the USA and Israel blamed the Palestinians, caused the USA’s concern. The protests that erupted were a reminder of the risk of escalation in the event of a ground operation, US officials said.

Humanitarian truce

The most rapid shift in US policy came this week, with Washington backing a ceasefire to allow aid into Gaza and the removal of some civilians..

When asked on October 23 about international calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, White House security spokesman John Kirby replied that the US wants to ensure that “Israel has the tools it needs to defend itself and go after Hamas and that humanitarian aid continues to flow“.

A day later Kirby and Blinken publicly advocated a trucefollowing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ plea to protect civilians and desperate pleas by UN agencies to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

US revises UN draft resolution to include call for humanitarian ceasefire in order for aid to enter Gaza unhindered.

Biden’s comments on Wednesday contrast with those he had made on October 7 and point to the new direction. “Israel must do everything it can, however difficult it may be, to protect civilians,” he stressed.

Moreover, in a rare move, he criticized “extremist settlers” in the West Bank, accusing them of adding fuel to the fire and called for “coordinated efforts” once the crisis subsides to reach an agreement on the creation of a Palestinian state.

But Biden expressed his doubts about the death toll promoted by the Palestinians and continues to emphasize his undivided support for Israel.