Total solidarity with Israel, support for its security, warning to other armed actors in the region: the Biden administration reacted quickly and strongly to the multi-front terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7. The gravity of the events mobilized the National Security Council at dawn. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stepped up his contacts with Palestinian and Middle Eastern leaders, seeking in vain to obtain clear condemnations. On Sunday, Blinken explained on CNN that the administration was verifying information on possible American deaths as well as nationals kidnapped by Hamas.
The White House is in the same situation as Israel's political parties: The criticism leveled in recent months at the Netanyahu government and its illiberal plans for judicial reform are set aside in the face of the sheer scale of the trauma suffered. In the same way, the question of the failure of the intelligence and military apparatus along the Gaza Strip is not on the agenda. It's time for a united front.
After talks with the Israeli Prime Minister, Biden delivered a speech renewing the classic terms of American commitment to Israel when its security is at stake. In one passage Biden said, "Let me say this as clearly as I can: This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage." The warning is aimed primarily at the Shiite Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, which might be tempted to open a front to the north in the event of a ground incursion into Gaza by the Israeli army.
Washington's top priority is to avoid a regional spread of the conflict. Iran is being closely watched. A senior American official cautiously clarified on Saturday: It is " too early to say whether the state of Iran was directly involved or planning and supporting" the attack. With the refusal of Iran to revive the nuclear deal (JCPoA), Washington must content itself with modest objectives, such as preventing an escalation with this hostile regime, which practices hostage-taking like Hamas, beyond the bilateral exchange of prisoners formalized on September 18.
In both Congress and the White House, concerted efforts are being stepped up to provide emergency security aid to Israel. Behind this display of solidarity, the administration is nonetheless confronted with the limits of its commitment: A stalled House of Representatives, speaker-less, faced with the prospect of a government shutdown in mid-November for lack of a budget agreement, the absence of an American ambassador to Israel (the post is currently filled by a chargé d'affaires), highly complex and even strained relations with two of the main regional players, Egypt – the traditional mediator with the armed Palestinian factions – and Turkey.
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