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Opinion | Israel-Gaza war: how Biden’s approach is hurting America’s reputation
- The impact of Biden’s stance on his presidential contest remains unknown but, outside the US, it has dealt a serious blow to America’s global leadership
- To ensure the US remains relevant, Biden must adopt a more balanced approach between Israel’s security needs and Palestinians’ desire for statehood
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While no great power can expect to exert dominance permanently, the US response to Hamas’ horrific terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7 could prove a significant milestone in the waning of America’s influence.
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However, there is only limited awareness of the real reputational damage in Washington. In a recent opinion piece, President Joe Biden said the United States had “Israel’s back” and remained “the essential nation” which the world looks to, “to solve the problems of our time”.
America continues to be the world’s most powerful state, but the latest phase of the Israel-Gaza conflict has shown it can be its own worst enemy in handling a Middle East crisis with global ramifications.
After Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took about 240 hostages during an armed incursion in southern Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly vowed “mighty vengeance” and threatened to turn Hamas-controlled Gaza “into rubble”. Israeli President Isaac Herzog has claimed there were no innocent civilians in Gaza.
In this context, the Biden administration, on top of its annual US$3.8 billion military aid package to Israel, immediately pledged to provide whatever military aid was required by the Netanyahu government to exercise its right of self-defence.
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Within days, the US sent weapons and navy carriers in support of Israel. An American aid package of roughly US$2 billion in supplementary funding was crafted to help replenish Israel’s stockpile of interceptors for its Iron Dome missile defence system, artillery shells and other munitions.
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