Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.
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Landing in a nation at war, President Joe Biden told Israel's leaders — and most importantly, its citizens — that "I want you to know you are not alone. We will continue to have Israel's back as you work to defend your people."
Biden's gutty travel was "deeply, deeply moving," said his counterpart, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I know I speak for all the people of Israel when I say thank you, Mr. President; thank you for standing with Israel today, tomorrow and always."
Indeed, Ron Krebs, a University of Minnesota political science professor, told an editorial writer via email that "The very fact that President Biden is visiting Israel, and quite literally putting his life in danger, will surely be taken as a sign of his deep and enduring support for the state of Israel."
Krebs, whose scholarship focuses on international conflict and security, added that "Biden's presumably unscripted comment less than a month ago that 'without Israel, there's not a Jew in the world that's secure,' resonated strongly with Israelis, American Jews, and the global Jewish community. And it showed that deep in his heart Biden grasps the Jewish historical narrative."
He also grasps the American one. Including the righteous anger so many felt after 9/11 — and the profound foreign policy mistakes that followed. And because Biden is looked at as a lifelong friend of Israel, he can caution Netanyahu and everyday Israelis that "I understand. Many Americans understand." Referencing the tragic loss of at least 1,400 Israelis, many brutally slaughtered by Hamas terrorists using ISIS-like tactics, Biden continued: "You can't look at what's happened here … and not scream out for justice." And yet, he wisely added, "While you feel that rage, don't be consumed by it." After 9/11, Biden said, "We were enraged in the United States. While we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes."
Tragically, the entire region — and increasingly, beyond — seems consumed by rage, especially after a Gazan hospital was struck by a missile on Tuesday, killing hundreds. Biden backs the Israeli and American assessment that it was an errant missile from Islamic Jihad, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization. Gazan authorities' claim that the carnage was from an Israeli missile strike has further inflamed a region already engulfed in anger against Israel and its ally, the U.S.