Israel Defense Forces continue to push deeper into Gaza in its effort to destroy Hamas since the terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 killed more than 1,400 civilians. Days after the attacks, the President pledged "rock solid and unwavering" support for Israel.
As the death toll mounts amid Israel's unwavering bombing and now ground offensive against Iran-backed Hamas, Biden has now called for a humanitarian "pause" that would allow civilians to receive aid. Biden first made the comments in a public appearance Wednesday.
The humanitarian benefits are obvious, but so is the benefit to Hamas which could then collect itself and resupply.
"It would allow them to regroup, refit, resupply … all those things would be done during that time. You can't trust these people. Anyone that is as barbaric as they have been, you can't trust them in any way for anything," former Delta Force commander Jerry Boykin said on Washington Watch Thursday.
"Right now, the wind is in the sails of the Israelis. What we don't want to do is something that would throw them off their game."
Biden's pause plea is a departure from his earlier resolve and perhaps a reflection that, from the start, many in his party did not share that resolve. Those voices have grown louder.
Earlier this week, the U.S. House was unable to pass a censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) for her comments at a pro-Palestinian rally.
"We are literally watching people commit your genocide killing a vast majority just like this," Tlaib said, gesturing to many Palestinian supporters in attendance. "We will remember this, but all of you need to know, you are on the right side of history," she told the crowd.
The House approved a $14.5-billion aid package for Israel Thursday; 12 Democrats joined all Republicans in voting for it, 194 voted against. It now goes to the Senate.
Early U.S. resolve appears to be wavering
"The administration here is starting to get cold feet, and I'd like to see them pump it back up again and make it clear that we're not going to push the Israelis to do anything that in any way would be detrimental to their ground game there in the Gaza Strip," Boykin told show host Tony Perkins.
That clarity is absent right now. Israel Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog told NewsNation Wednesday that his country does not need "urging" in response to calls for humanitarian aid for Gaza.
"We are ramping up humanitarian supplies into Gaza in those areas which are away from Hamas in the southern part of Gaza. The number of truckloads doubled and is going to pick up more and more," he said. "We provide water. We provide other types of supplies."
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Perkins that Israel should not allow itself to be influenced by Biden's calls for pause.
"It would be a mistake for them to not do what they think is in their best interest, regardless of what the Biden administration or anybody else asks them to do. They need to do the necessary, which is to destroy the barbarians who killed 1,400 of their own and we should not forget, killed 30 Americans as well," he said.
"I hear him talk about pauses and ceasefires. None of that makes any sense to me if the objective is to take out this terrorist organization to prevent it from ever inflicting these kinds of horrors again. This has got to be gone at hard and fast and with all the might that Israel can bring to it, certainly with American support."
Pompeo: U.S. needs to send Iran a clear message
Beyond material support, the most help America can bring is with messaging, Pompeo argued.
"We have to continue to remind the world why it is they're engaged in what they're doing. We have to make sure that the primary address for the bad actors doesn't sit in Gaza, the West Bank or Lebanon," he continued. "The primary address for the bad actor sits in Tehran, and the United States is the only nation in the world that can make clear to the Iranians if they escalate this war there will be real cost imposed on them. Has that message been communicated? I don't know, certainly not publicly."
Boykin concurred, pointing out the world is watching.
"They know that we're [Israel's] strongest ally; and in many ways, they're our strongest ally, and the world watching us to see what we're doing," the retired general offered. "The fact that the President is calling for a pause is something that is not going to help this situation, because when we start talking like that what the rest of the world sees is our weakness coming out once again," he said.
Boykin said U.S. policy for this conflict should be to simply stand ready in support of Israel.
"We are not there to tell them how to run their campaign, and I'm afraid that we're sliding in that direction right now. We've got to resist that temptation and let them fight their own war, give them what they need, give them advice if they ask for it, give them whatever they need, but we cannot run their war for them," Boykin stated.
