To the editor:
Aaron David Miller's guest essay "Words Over Deeds: Why Biden Isn’t Pressuring Israel" should really be entitled "Why Biden Isn't Pressuring Israel Even More," given that he's been exerting tremendous pressure on Israel and constantly criticizing Israel, while barely doing anything to pressure Hamas, or the Houthis, or Hezbollah, or their overlord, Iran.
The key reason is one barely even hinted at by Miller, when he writes "If the president had a compelling alternative to how Israel could wage a war in these circumstances without doing grievous harm to civilians, he might have more leverage."
In that sentence, Miller tacitly reveals he's aware that Israel isn't doing "grievous harm to civilians" and that virtually all the criticism directed at Israel, including by President Biden, is unjustified. Indeed, the ratio of non-combatant to combatant deaths in Gaza is barely one to one, far below the norm of nine to one for urban warfare and John Spencer, generally recognized as America's leading expert on urban warfare, says the IDF has done more to protect non-combatants than any other army in history.
That President Biden, with access to more expert advice than any other world leader, doesn't have a single compelling alternative to what Israel is doing, indicates there probably isn't any. One thus wonders why he keeps pressuring Israel, empowering Hamas and endangering the hostages still being held under inhumane conditions, rather than being steadfast in supporting Israel, as he pledged shortly after the October 7 Massacre.
Perhaps Aaron David Miller can try to explain that?
Sincerely,
Alan Stein