Joe Biden’s already-terrible approval ratings have been hurt even more by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Americans don’t approve of the way he’s handling it, and the pro-Palestinian wing of his party thinks he’s been too supportive of Israel. It’s by no means a great position to be in, but one he pretty much got himself into.
Needless to say, I have no sympathy for him — especially now that he’s kowtowing to the pro-Palestinian wing of his party, doing everything possible to undermine Israel in favor of Hamas. For many weeks now, Biden has not-so-subtly been pressuring Israel to cave to Hamas’s demands for “humanitarian pauses,” which is basically a euphemism for ceasefire — exactly what Hamas wants — and using the release of hostages and the supply of humanitarian aid as a ruse.
When a temporary ceasefire was eventually agreed to, Joe Biden quickly praised the agreement. "I welcome the deal to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist group Hamas during its brutal assault against Israel on October 7th,” Biden said in a statement last week. "As President, I have no higher priority than ensuring the safety of Americans held hostage around the world. That’s why — from the earliest moments of Hamas’s brutal assault — my national security team and I have worked closely with regional partners to do everything possible to secure the release of our fellow citizens."
While 50 hostages were eventually released, it was not before Hamas violated the ceasefire agreement within 15 minutes of it going into effect, prompting a response from Israel, and the usual negative at their expense. There are still Americans being held hostages, so it remains to be seen what, if any, impact Biden’s behind-the-scenes to secure their release has accomplished.
Related: Did Biden Admit His Diplomacy Caused Hamas Attack on Israel?
Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, Hamas has officially broken the ceasefire agreement. According to recent reports, they are refusing to release the next group of hostages — and, of course, blaming Israel.
"Hamas said in a statement on Saturday it was delaying the release of the second group of hostages over what it called Israeli violations of a deal between the militant group and Israel,” Axios reported. "Driving the news: Hamas claimed earlier that Israel violated the deal by not releasing Palestinian prisoners in the way the two parties agreed on, allowing less aid to reach northern Gaza than was supposed to under the agreement, and by operating drones in the southern part of the enclave."
According to a report from Fox News, "Fifty trucks carrying humanitarian aid including food, water and medical supplies were sent to the northern Gaza Strip during the truce between Israel and Hamas that began on Friday, Israel said earlier."
I have no doubt that Joe Biden was hoping that the conflict in Israel would give his presidency a boost. Few things can rally the public behind a president better than international conflict. But not only has Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war been widely panned, Hamas is clearly playing him like a fiddle. Desperate for a victory to take credit for, Biden declared the ceasefire deal was "a testament to the tireless diplomacy and determination of many dedicated individuals across the United States Government to bring Americans home.” Apparently, Biden was, for some reason, under the impression that Hamas had negotiated in good faith. They didn’t, and they’ll continue their deceptive practices to get what they want. Joe Biden hasn’t figured this out yet.
