The U.S. Is Not Actually “Pressuring” Israel

In the news, we read that the Biden administration is deeply concerned about the tens of thousands of Palestinians being killed by Israeli bombardment in Gaza. We have strong evidence that Israel does not make meaningful efforts to limit civilian casualties, instead simply viewing them as acceptable collateral damage. The U.S., perhaps conscious that the rest of the world is horrified by this (and that Biden’s support among Arab Americans and young people is cratering), has shifted from giving completely uncritical public support to Israel to expressing Concerns.