Biden Should Be Like Ike to Curb Israel
Even with an election looming, Dwight Eisenhower played hardball to end the Suez Crisis. It worked.
To navigate the Israel-Hamas war, 46 should look to 34.
Credit: Moore/Hulton Archive
As Israel’s Gaza offensive has grown ever more deadly and destructive, President Biden has equivocated: condemning the civilian death toll while simultaneously sending more arms to Israel. This position, though perhaps politically expedient at the outset of the conflict, has become untenable.
Now, as the war threatens to destabilize the entire region, Biden should take a more forceful stance, much as one of his predecessors did. In 1956, President Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower successfully defused the Suez Crisis, forcing Israel and its allies — as well as the president’s own political rivals — to back down. Eisenhower’s willingness to confront Israel offers a model, however imperfect, for today.