Dear Editor:
Nicholas Kristof is right: President Biden's policies with regard to Gaza have been a disaster and are causing immense death, destruction and suffering.
After October 7, President Biden correctly said Hamas had to be destroyed. He also asserted America's support of Israel was rock solid and unwavering. Had he continued to stand solidly with Israel, the war might be over by now and fewer of the hostages murdered while in captivity.
Unfortunately, while Israel has taken more steps than any other army in history to avoid civilian casualties and, despite facing challenges never before faced by any army, has managed to keep the proportion of civilian casualties to about half of what the United Nations expects in modern warfare, President Biden has constantly and increasingly and unjustifiably criticized Israel's actions and pressured it to stop short of the necessary step of rooting Hamas out of Rafah and taking control of the Philadelphi Corridor.
After saying that he would know if Hamas was taking any of the "humanitarian aid" sent to Gaza, he not only looked the other way when it was clear Hamas was stealing 60% of it, but insisted on increasing the amount sent to Gaza and thus to Hamas. His actions, including begging Hamas to agree to ceasefires that would benefit nobody but terrorists, have rewarded Hamas for its refusal to release hostages and for its strategy of maximizing death and destruction in Gaza.
While Israel is fighting for its survival against an enemy as evil as, if not as strong as, Nazi Germany, it is also acting as the first line of defense for all Western democracies. Israel's fight is as clearly just today as it was on October 7. President Biden's waffling has already done irreparable harm. He needs to act as he pledged when Hamas broke the ceasefire in effect on the morning of October 7 with its Simchat Torah Massacre.
Sincerely,
Alan Stein