Israeli attack on Iran reflects badly on Biden after president’s public message to Netanyahu

The overnight events do not reflect well on President Biden.

He had pointed this out so insistently just a few days ago to Israel so as not to retaliate.

“Take victory,” the US president told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the early hours of Sunday morning.

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This was a message made public and combined with indirect briefings we were receiving from the White House and the State Department.

Washington’s message to the Israeli government was that the spectacular failure of Iranian attackcombined with the diplomatic premiere of seeing the Jordanians and Saudis defend Israel, was a victory.

“Take it, don’t fight back,” was the message they hoped would come. Uncontrolled escalation is simply too risky.

But for several months, Israel has ignored America. Biden has often noted the limits of his influence on Gaza.

As the week progressed, it became clear that on this issue too, Netanyahu was not going to allow himself to be bowed down by Washington, London or anywhere else.

And many have questioned the wisdom of Biden’s diplomatic directive.

Israel had just faced the largest air attack in its history by a nation bent on its destruction.

“Take the victory”?! Really? For many, this seemed like a surprising calming of Iran.

And so, as diplomatic visitors to Israel realized this week that Netanyahu and his war cabinet were going to ignore Biden and retaliate, the language began to change.

“Don’t retaliate” became “minimize escalation.”

“We hope that they will do it in a way that does not contribute to making the situation worse as much as possible,” British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said after meeting with Netanyahu on Tuesday.

From what I understand, Israel warned Western diplomats that it was fight back overnight and with some details on the type and location of the targets.

But the past week raises questions about the Biden administration’s influence and its strategy.

Biden’s call for no retaliation was very public and echoed by his allies. This decision was motivated by the real fear of uncontrolled escalation.

But was it diplomatically smart to make this call so public? Some wonder whether this simply undermined Israel’s ability to reestablish its deterrence.

Call for restraint in private, perhaps. But why publicly?

But more than that, have the public “don’t do it” messages simply set President Biden up for failure and weakness when his directive was simply ignored by Israel?

Learn more:
Israel appears to have chosen its response carefully
How Biden observed the Iranian attack – and what he said to Netanyahu

Now prepare for the next move.

Perhaps a gradual de-escalation through a series of strikes on targets each less significant than the last – both sides saving face, both claiming deterrence.

Such is the madness of conflict.