Bowen: Biden has decided strong words are not enough
By Jeremy Bowen
For weeks, President Joe Biden and his senior officials have been losing patience with the way that Israel is fighting the war in Gaza.
They have used increasingly stiff language to convey their displeasure to Israel and the wider world.
The decision to allow the latest ceasefire resolution through the Security Council shows that President Biden has decided that strong words are not enough.
Removing diplomatic protection from Israel’s conduct of the war is a significant step.
It shows the depth of the rift that has opened between the White House and Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Prime Minister Netanyahu responded with a broadside directed at Israel’s most important ally.
He condemned the US decision not to use its veto, saying it had harmed the war effort and attempts to free the hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October last year.
Joe Biden and his top officials might file those remarks under the heading of extreme ingratitude.
