'8-Hour Half-Day Schedule' Did US Biden's Visit to Israel Yield Results?

Humanitarian Aid Resolved Through Egypt
But Preventing Escalation of 'Substantial Results' Remains Difficult

U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Israel, which is at war with the Palestinian armed group Hamas, on the 18th (local time) was evaluated as having partially resolved humanitarian aid issues but failing to achieve substantial results in resolving the complex conflicts in the Middle East and preventing escalation.

After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others in Tel Aviv, Israel, President Biden returned home eight hours later aboard Air Force One.

On the 18th (local time), after visiting Israel for 8 hours, U.S. President Joe Biden is seen disembarking from Air Force One upon returning home.
[Photo by Reuters]

Originally, President Biden was scheduled to also visit Jordan and hold a four-party summit with Jordan, Egypt, and Palestine, but this was abruptly canceled due to a hospital explosion in the Gaza Strip that occurred before his departure from the U.S. This raised concerns that the schedule would be a 'half-measure.'

Although President Biden managed to visit war-torn Israel and return, he has not escaped criticism for failing to achieve significant results. Foreign media reported that the purpose of Biden's visit was to secure humanitarian aid routes in the Gaza Strip and conduct diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation through Israeli ground troop deployment and Iran's involvement in the war.

The U.S. political news outlet Politico reported, "It was complicated even before boarding Air Force One," adding, "Only one of the two goals during the hectic Israel visit was achieved." CNN also evaluated that "it showed the limits of U.S. influence in a region (the Middle East) where there is concern about the expansion of violence."

First, a notable achievement was that, through President Biden's efforts, Egypt allowed 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing.

During his visit to Israel, President Biden requested the allowance of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and Israel announced it would permit the entry of food, water, and medicine into Gaza. Subsequently, President Biden spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during his return flight, resulting in the entry of humanitarian aid trucks.

However, there are criticisms that he failed to properly play the more important role of mediator in the conflict at this point.

President Joe Biden of the United States [Photo by AP]

To resolve the war between Israel and Hamas, cooperation from neighboring Middle Eastern countries is crucial, making the cancellation of the four-party summit regrettable. The decision to cancel the summit was made just minutes before President Biden boarded Air Force One to Israel, and it was reportedly difficult to cancel the Israel visit for this reason.

President Biden visited Israel as planned and reaffirmed support for Israel, stating that the hospital explosion in Gaza was unrelated to Israel and appeared to be caused by a misfired rocket from Gaza terrorist groups.

However, it is reported that the U.S. administration moved urgently to verify the cause of the incident before President Biden delivered this clear message. CNN, citing sources, reported that the U.S. national security team was initially not fully confident that Israel was responsible but concluded from early intelligence analysis that Israel did not conduct the airstrike.

CNN also reported that if evidence had emerged that Israel was responsible, President Biden might have reconsidered his visit to Israel.

Analysts suggest that by showing full support for Israel, President Biden has made it difficult for the U.S. to remain uninvolved in Israel's future responses. There is a possibility that the U.S. could face international criticism depending on Israel's future actions, such as deploying ground troops or occupying the Gaza Strip.

John Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said, "From a risk perspective, President Biden is now linked to whatever Israel does in the Gaza Strip." Ezra Cohen, a researcher at the Hudson Institute and former U.S. Department of Defense intelligence deputy assistant secretary, said that if Israel deploys ground troops causing significant civilian casualties, it will be difficult for the Biden administration to maintain trust.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.