US Biden, Middle East Peacemaker? Israel Visit Leaves Some Regrets

Continued Backlash from Middle Eastern Countries, Doubts Over Tangible Results
"Blaming Terror Groups"... Rising Tensions in the Middle East Over Israel Support

U.S. President Joe Biden visited Israel amid the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, but concerns over escalation have not subsided, leading to evaluations that the visit yielded no substantial results.

On the 18th (local time), President Joe Biden visited Tel Aviv and returned home after a schedule lasting less than eight hours. Immediately following Biden's visit to Israel, Israel and Egypt agreed to conditionally allow the entry of relief supplies equivalent to 20 trucks into the Gaza Strip.

U.S. President Joe Biden (left) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken are meeting with survivors and bereaved families of the Palestinian militant group Hamas' attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, on the 18th (local time). On the 7th, Hamas launched an airstrike on an Israeli music festival, killing civilians and taking many hostages. Photo by AP Yonhap News

President Biden also defended Israel, stating that the hospital bombing in the Gaza Strip was not carried out by Israel but was an accidental strike by a terrorist group. Hamas and Israel have been exchanging accusations over the hospital tragedy that resulted in hundreds of deaths; Hamas claims it was due to an Israeli airstrike, while Israel points to a misfired rocket from the Palestinian armed group 'Islamic Jihad' as the cause.

The emphasis on U.S. support for Israel during this visit appears to have sparked further backlash from Middle Eastern countries. According to The New York Times, Iran, along with the Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah which it supports, threatened that "a new front against Israel will open."

Lee Hee-soo, Professor Emeritus of Cultural Anthropology at Hanyang University, assessed that although President Biden did not achieve his intended outcomes, he succeeded in persuading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow humanitarian relief supplies into the Gaza Strip. Israel had maintained a hardline stance that no relief supplies would be delivered through its territory until 200 hostages were released.

A man is evacuating while holding an injured child at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, on the 19th (local time). Photo by Reuters.

On the 20th, on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' Professor Lee explained, "Israel's basic position is that the operation aims to annihilate Hamas through a complete blockade of Gaza, and allowing relief supplies would undermine this strategy." He added, "In other words, by maximizing the suffering of residents and fostering distrust between Hamas, which acts as the autonomous government, and the residents, Israel aims to weaken Hamas. If humanitarian aid is allowed in, it implies a prolonged conflict, making it a very difficult decision for Israel."

Regarding the possibility of the Israel-Hamas war escalating into a broader Middle Eastern conflict, Professor Lee said, "It is unpredictable," but predicted, "The involvement of Hezbollah in the north will be a turning point."

He stated, "Hezbollah possesses military power incomparable to Hamas, and behind Hezbollah stands the powerful state of Iran. Currently, there are partial missile exchanges, but not a full-scale war. However, if the situation worsens and more Palestinian civilians suffer, Hezbollah will intervene in cooperation with Iran."

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