Joe Biden held Israel closer than any American president ever has in the horrific days after the Hamas attacks on October 7, CNN reports.

Over two months later, amid continuous Israeli airstrikes in Gaza resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians, unprecedented tensions have escalated between the White House and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

This week, in an off-camera political event, Biden openly accused Israel of engaging in “indiscriminate” bombing. He used exceedingly blunt language, which typically causes pushback from Israel’s leaders, who insist they try to spare civilians but accuse Hamas of using innocent Palestinians as cover.

The next big geopolitical question over the conflict in Gaza is not whether it will isolate Israel internationally. It’s whether the White House’s firm support for the operation will also alienate the United States from its friends in a way that could severely compromise wider national security goals.

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