The images of Gaza being bombed into rubble have generated shock and outrage worldwide. Both Israel and its chief enabler, the United States have faced a level of condemnation paralleling or even exceeding that directed at the Hamas terrorists who sparked the current eruption of violence with their 7 October campaign of carnage.

US President Joe Biden is trying to walk a tightrope, a balancing act between the outrage of the Israelis and the subsequent victimization of the Palestinians. It is rapidly becoming a political no-man’s-land.

The problem for the Biden Administration is that they see far more clearly what they do not want to happen than what they do want to happen. This problem has been on full display in the Administrations handling of the war in Ukraine as well, they appear much more comfortable being reactive than proactive. Conspicuously absent are strategies to confront threats.

The Israelis are feeling a profound sense of grief and fear. They see Hamas as an existential threat. Their urgency to eliminate that threat is driving their decision making. But the Western powers, the US and their European allies are facing political headwinds that shape their interactions with Israel.

Support for the survival of the State of Israel is strong throughout the Western world, but there is little stomach for images of US made bombs being dropped from US made aircraft onto improvised communities in the Gaza strip, with the staggering toll of casualties that inevitably entails.

A huge complicating factor is again the lack of a US security strategy. The Israeli strategy addresses the Hamas threat, but not the Biden Administration’s political liability. This problem only gets worse if the US tries to remain unengaged.

If the Israelis have to confront the Hamas threat alone then they are going to use the methods we have seen so far. The US can significantly affect the course of the conflict, mitigating the civilian impact while taking partnership role in defeating Hamas, but they must be prepared to become directly engaged.

If the Biden Administration does not get directly involved in the security outcome, then it is very likely to be an outcome they and the Western World will not like.